


Gotta Stop Worrying (About the Things I Cannot Know)

by TheHomestuckWhovian



Series: Vivi Yukino: Ace Attorney [1]
Category: Mystery Skulls Animated
Genre: Ace Attorney AU, Attempted Kidnapping, Blood, Gen, Implied Cult, Murder, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Trials
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:08:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27431797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHomestuckWhovian/pseuds/TheHomestuckWhovian
Summary: Vivi's best friend has been accused of murder. Fortunately, he has her on his side. Unfortunately, this case is a lot more complicated than her first one was, with the supernatural suddenly becoming very real and a prosecutor who seems to have a grudge against her best friend.(Or, not everyone remembers their childhood friends, and Arthur's having a badlifeday, but Vivi will save the day! Hopefully!)
Relationships: Arthur & Lewis (Mystery Skulls Animated), Arthur & Vivi (Mystery Skulls Animated), Lewis & Vivi (Mystery Skulls Animated), Mystery & Vivi (Mystery Skulls Animated)
Series: Vivi Yukino: Ace Attorney [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022769
Comments: 21
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is from the song Money by (you guessed it) Mystery Skulls. The themes of the song don't really match up with the story, but considering the significance of [this particular video](https://youtu.be/lhjk5x54bsE), as it eventually led to the creation of the Ghost video and it pretty much directly relates to the AU, I felt doing a little tribute made sense.
> 
> Also, I want to shout out [Collab](https://collabwithmyself.tumblr.com) real quickly because his MSA AU for Ace Attorney accidentally inspired me to create the reverse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some Japanese used very briefly in this chapter. For computer users, there are hover text translations. For mobile users, the translations are in the notes at the end of the chapter.

Vivi absolutely had a driver's license, of course, but she didn't have a car and the only other vehicle she had access to was one she had been banned from driving. Mostly because Arthur told her that she drove like she was in a one woman demolition derby and the day he let her drive his van was the day she killed then both, and y'know what, that was fair. So she stuck with her bicycle and it was fine.

Except today, because her bike felt _painfully slow_. So ridiculously slow no matter how fast she pedaled, because her mind was reeling and it didn't make sense and...and...and how could they even think-

She barely remembered to lock her bike to the rack in her haste, before bursting into the detention center and skidding to a stop at the front desk.

"I'm Arthur Kingsmen's attorney," she began, panting desperately because she hadn't even stopped for a breath since she had seen the news. Oh god, she left that poor stray in her dust without warning! No, no time to think about that. "Please, you've got to let me see him."

The man at the desk blinked, reeling at the sight of the crazy woman that was leaning against his desk, before stammering, "He...he should be out of questioning. I'll have...I'll have a guard escort you?"

"Th-Thank you," she answered, holding up a hand in a thumbs up gesture. _Arms over your head to open up the lungs, Vivi. God...I am not as in shape as I used to be._ She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. _It's going to be fine. I'm going to fix this. It'll be fine._

"Can I get a name?" the man at the desk asked, still seeming nervous.

She grimaced. "Right, uh, Vivienne Yukino."

The man nodded. "Alright. You should be able to see your client soon, Ms. Yukino."

_I'm going to fix this. It's...it's the least I can do..._

* * *

Arthur looked...well, there was no getting around it...

"You look like shit, man," Vivi muttered, unable to disguise the worry in her voice.

Arthur let out a stilted laugh. "Yeah...yeah, I feel like shit too." He reached to grab his left arm, only to find open air, causing him to wince and just rest his arm back at his side.

"Why wouldn't they let you keep your prosthetic?" Vivi asked, feeling annoyed. "That has got to be illegal, doesn't it?"

He shrugged helplessly. "I don't know? They were just worried I was going to hurt myself or someone else with it, considering how high tech it is." He let out a sigh. "I mean...I guess I can't blame them. Not after what happened."

Vivi took a deep breath, before asking, "What...what _did_ happen?"

Arthur frowned, looking deeply confused. "I...I don't know. I...It felt like I blacked out or something. One moment I was walking down the street, the next I..." He took a shaking breath, wrapping his right arm around himself as best as he could. "I was in an alleyway, and I...I was covered in someone's blood. I...I don't even know what happened. What if I really..."

"You didn't," Vivi argued, with the utmost sincerity. "I've known you pretty much my whole life Artie, and you...you wouldn't kill someone. I know it."

"You...you can't know that."

She took a deep breath. "Maybe not yet, but..." She reached for her lapel, unpinning the badge from it and pressing it to the window. "...but I'm going to find the truth. So...would you let me defend you?"

"I..." he looked at her with disbelief, before looking down to the floor. "...Okay. I...thank you, Vivi."

"No problem," she answered. "Now...give me all the details you can remember."

"...Okay."

* * *

_This is not looking good_ , she thought to herself as she rode her bike back to the office. _From the sound of things, Arthur has no alibi. He doesn't even know for sure he didn't do it. And I know he didn't, but... how am I supposed to_ prove _it?_

She had intended to go immediately to the crime scene, once she had gotten Arthur to write her a letter of request, but then she remembered the poor injured dog she had basically abandoned in her office and, well, she couldn't just leave a strange dog alone in her office. Not only was the stray injured, but it was a _strange dog_ , and what if it wrecked her office while she was gone?

_Game plan: Take dog to vet, check out crime scene and start the investigation, pick up dog, go to Arthur's apartment to pick up Galahad and take him to Lance, figure out where to put dog, continue investigation. Find evidence to prove what you already know. Kick ass. Save your best friend._

She practically skidded to a stop, quickly locking her bike in place before speeding up the stairs, throwing open the door to her office to find...

Nothing different, except for the injured dog curled up on her couch in what looked like the least restful sleep she had ever seen. She let out a relieved sigh, before walking over to the couch and frowning at the dog. It had looked...well, it had looked like it had been thrown into a blender earlier, but now it seemed mostly fine. A few healing cuts on its body, cuts that would open with too much strain, but a lot less direly hurt than she remembered.

Maybe she had mentally exaggerated it in her anxiety. 

Still, the poor thing was still injured--maybe even had internal injuries she couldn't see--so she very gently lifted him into her arms. He was a small dog, so he would probably fit into her bike basket. She grabbed the throw blanket her mother had insisted on draping over the back of the office couch as well. It would work as an impromptu bed, and it wasn't like it had any use beyond aesthetic. She wouldn't be too upset if it got blood on it.

The dog shifted slightly in her arms, lifting its head.

"Hey there, buddy," she told him gently. "Don't worry, I'll get you to a vet soon, and they'll fix you up."

This did not reassure the dog.

It, in fact, seemed to do the opposite.

And the dog made that very clear by loudly exclaiming, " **いええ!** " in a strange, resonating, _definitely-not-bark._

Vivi nearly dropped the dog in shock.

"...話しましたか。"

The dog went stiff in her arms, before a sheepish smile crept up onto its face. " **...夢です。** " And it definitely didn't sound very sure of itself with that, the way its voice rose questioningly at the end.

_Nice try there, buddy._

"God I wish today was just a dream," she muttered, before taking a deep breath. _Might be losing my mind, but no time to worry about that. I've got bigger fish to fry._ "Okay, so I left you for maybe an hour at most and you're already mostly healed up from when I found you-" because now she was dead certain this was a magic dog "-and since a vet is apparently out of the question, I guess you're coming with me."

" **Wait, what?** "

Ah, so the magic dog spoke English too.

"Well why did you think I ran out of here in such a hurry?" she asked, glancing at the blanket before deciding that yeah, she was going to bring it, might as well make the magic dog comfortable. "This is weird and everything but I still have a case to worry about, and, magic dog or not, leaving a strange dog in my office unsupervised is a bad idea. If a vet's not going to work, a shelter definitely won't, and the only person I'd trust enough to leave a magic dog with while I investigate is currently the one I have to defend in court tomorrow so...yeah. Bringing you with me." Then, raising an eyebrow, she asked, "Is that going to be an issue?"

The dog frowned, before sighing. " **No, I suppose not. It's not as though I'll be recognized in this form.** "

That was...weird, but Vivi wasn't in the mood to question it. "Alright then, mystery dog. Welcome to the investigation team!"

* * *

The alleyway no longer had the body lying in it, but there was blood. A lot of it too. The magic dog made a face at the sight, which...fair, honestly.

Even without the corpse, even with it not being her first crime scene (it was, in fact, her second), it was still upsetting to see.

She couldn't even imagine how horrifying it must have been for Arthur to come to in this nightmare. Her best friend was a nervous, easily frightened guy, and he was squeamish on top of all that. She was surprised he didn't faint.

_**This blood smells several hours old.** _

She jumped, before glancing at the dog, who gave her a sheepish smile at that.

_**I'm sorry, this method of communication is safer. Openly talking would be suspicious.** _

"Huh," she muttered. "Weird."

"Civilians aren't allowed at an active crime scene," a voice spoke up from behind her, causing her to jump and turn around to see a very familiar detective.

"Duet, just the person I wanted to see," Vivi greeted as cheerily as she could manage, and she reached into her bag and pulled out the letter Arthur had written. "As the defense attorney for this case, I believe I have permission to engage in my own investigation?"

Duet looked over the letter thoughtfully, before shrugging and passing it back. "Suit yourself. Not sure why you're bothering, since it's a pretty open and shut case as far as everyone on the force is concerned."

Vivi rolled her eyes. "That was what you said last time, too, and you know how that turned out."

"Heh, fair enough." They glanced at the small dog next to Vivi and raised an eyebrow. "New investigative partner?"

"Yep!" she answered, in lieu of an actual investigation. "This is Mystery, he's my partner for this case and a very good boy."

_**Don't patronize me.** _

"I probably shouldn't allow this...but I don't actually care."

She grinned at the dog, who looked vaguely concerned at the attitude of the detective, but neither even had time to react before Duet continued speaking.

"Still, I doubt your investigation will matter much. Prosecutor on the case is a tough nut to crack. Hasn't lost a case yet." They smirked. "Ever heard of Lewis Pepper?"

_Hmm...that name..._

"Nope," she answered after a moment. "Can't be that big 'a deal, if I've never even heard of him. And technically _I_ haven't lost a case yet either, so..." Admittedly, she'd only had one case before, but she was pretty sure her point still stood. "Besides...I know Arthur. He'd never do anything like that."

They frowned at her for a moment, before shrugging. "Whatever. Just don't underestimate him, the guy really doesn't like people he considers to be criminals, so he won't be willing to give you an inch." Then, a little quieter, they added, "He actually requested to be on this case himself. Seems like it might be personal, for some reason."

_**Admittedly I'm not very familiar with the American court system, but...isn't that a conflict of interest?** _

"That kinda sounds like a conflict of interest," Vivi spoke up, crossing her arms. Because yeah, the dog (dubbed Mystery for the moment) had a very good point there.

"Not like the prosecutor's office cares," Duet answered, rolling their eyes. "It's none of my business really, I'm just supposed to investigate the scene and figure out the person who did it. But I can tell you we apparently got a photograph of the defendant standing above the body, taken by someone who has been told she's not allowed to speak to anyone but the police about the events of last night. She'll be a major witness tomorrow."

_Oof, that's not good. But...Arthur mentioned coming to in the alleyway and finding the body. Her account can't be any worse for him than what's already happened. I just need to investigate. I'll worry about arguing against her testimony later._

She sighed. "Something to look forward to, I guess." Then, a bit pleadingly, "Got a copy of the photo?"

"Nope." She slumped at that. "Well, not yet, since it's still being developed. Should have a copy by this evening, if you come by the station. Won't even cost you anything."

"Ohthankfuck."

They snorted. "Don't thank me yet. You still have the prosecution to worry about."

_Right, the Pepper guy. I'll have to ask Arthur if he knows anything about him later. For now though...investigation time!_

"So what happened?" Vivi asked, looking at the scene in front of her.

"Well, as far as we can tell, the defendant shoved the victim against the wall by this dumpster," Duet explained, gesturing to a spot on the wall. Vivi noted that the dumpster was between the location and the street absently as she nodded along. "The victim was killed, and the defendant dropped the body and moved it towards the center of the alleyway, probably intending to move it to another location, maybe even dump it in the dumpster. But the picture was taken before he could."

_Not looking good for Arthur so far._

"Got an autopsy report I can look at?" she asked, and Duet nodded and handed her a folder without a word. Glancing over it, looked like the victim, a guy by the name of Jonathan "Jack" Pott, had been stabbed in the throat (gross) with a pocket knife, severing a carotid artery, and then left to bleed out in seconds. "Yuck. Got anything on the murder weapon?"

"File has some pictures, showing all the evidence we've currently found," Duet answered, and she immediately began shuffling through the contents. "Knife has the defendant's fingerprints on it, obviously. You mentioned knowing the guy. Is that his pocket knife?"

She looked at the pictures of the knife, covered in blood and bloody fingerprints on the handle, before shaking her head. "Nope. Arthur doesn't carry a knife on him either, not even for self defense. He has pepper spray on his key chain and that's about it. Maybe it belongs to the victim?"

"Maybe. Or maybe he bought it that day with cash and threw away the receipt. Doesn't matter. His fingerprints are still on it."

"Hmm..." She tilted her head thoughtfully. _It's possible someone put Arthur's fingerprints on the knife while he was unconscious, after the victim was stabbed. But I'd need to find some way to prove that as a possibility, or it'll just look like I'm reaching. Though...there is something off about these fingerprints._ "Anything from forensics?"

Duet snorted. "Maybe if they had more than twenty-four hours to do anything. Results on anything other than a rudimentary look at the crime scene for the obvious stuff and autopsies take weeks at least, and the prosecutor's office likes to get trials done fast." They let out a scoff. "Far as they are concerned, we caught the guy, no need to wait for tests to prove it."

_**That is gross negligence.** _

_Preaching to the choir, buddy._

"Some of the forensics guys did think there was something weird about the blood splatter," Duet added, and Vivi looked up, already hopeful. "But, given that the defendant was the only guy here as far as we're concerned, it's probably nothing. There's a report in there about it though, if you think it'll be helpful."

"You really don't like any of the prosecutors, huh?" Vivi noted, and Duet gave a joyless smile.

"My salary has been cut about three times today," they explained, and she winced. "And most of them are assholes who don't even care that someone died, just that they can add another win to their shiny records and never think about how someone's blood had to be spilled for them to get it. So yeah, if you can knock any of them down a peg, I'm glad to help."

She grimaced, before patting him on the shoulder. "Fair enough." Then, she turned her attention back to the folder, looking through the evidence. A few crime scene photos, several photographs of the body, even more showing the blood splatter, a few pictures of the knife, pictures of Arthur's blood clothes, etc. A schematic of the crime scene, most prominently showing the dumpster as well as a couple of trash cans and

_**There is a strange scent coming from the dumpster.**_ Vivi blinked, looking up from the folder again to look at Mystery, who looked at her expectantly before understanding dawned on him and he looked sheepish. _**Right, simply direct any thoughts you want me to hear to me and I will hear them. Anything else I won't be able to hear at all.**_

_Convenient. So, something in the dumpster?_

**_Yes._**

She sighed, tucking the evidence folder into her bag and walking over to the dumpster, opening to find it mostly full of bags, but with a few disparate items that had simply been tossed inside. One of which caught her attention, and she glanced back at the detective.

"Hey Duet!" she called. "Found a coffee cup belonging to Arthur in the dumpster. Got any gloves?" They passed her a pair of blue nitrile gloves, which she quickly pulled on before reaching inside to pick it up. She recognized the logo immediately; it was for her and Arthur's favorite coffee shop. He must have been there before blacking out and waking up to this gory scene. _Is this what you were smelling?_

**_Yes. There's coffee, milk, sugar, all expected. But I smell something else in there that concerns me._ **

She looked at the cup, opening it up to find there was still some liquid in it, albeit definitely smelling like it had been left outside for nearly a whole late November day, before she glanced at Duet.

"How long would it take to test this for any possible drugs?" she asked, holding up the cup. "Since Arthur's statement mentioned him blacking out."

Duet smirked. "Depends. How long can you keep the trial going for? Tests like that take time, after all, and you'll need proof of the possibility that he was drugged to get them to delay until the tests get back."

_Stalling for time...fun stuff._

"However long it takes to find the truth," she answered, and Duet smiled at that, as if she had passed some sort of test.

"Consider it a favor then, and I'll get results as soon as possible."

* * *

"...Where did you get a dog?" Arthur asked as he sat down on the other side of the glass window, glancing at Mystery sitting on her lap.

"Long story," she answered, because she didn't really know how to explain _magic dog_ when there was already a lot to worry about. "What's important is that I got a look at the crime scene and I found out about a witness. Someone who took a photo of you?"

Arthur grimaced. "Yeah...I remember..." He took a shaking breath. "After I woke up and...and found the..." He closed his eyes and shook his head, apparently deciding that was enough to get across what he had found. "I checked his pulse first, trying to see if maybe...then I tried to find my phone in my pockets so I could call the police. Then I heard a scream and there was a flash, and I turned and...there was this girl in this really weird outfit, holding a camera. Then she ran away. I...I guess she was the one who called the police, because I never found my phone."

**_Hmm...we should take that into account. Finding his phone might help you find the culprit._ **

_You believe him, right?_

**_He isn't lying about the events as he was aware of them. Meaning someone else must have been involved, to explain the missing_ _phone._ **

"Do you think it's possible you were drugged?" Vivi asked thoughtfully.

"I...I don't think I was? But it's possible I guess." He shrugged. "I was at the Daily Grind, ordered the same drink I always get. But I don't remember if it tasted off or anything. I was too distracted by..." Then he hesitated.

_**...Interesting.** _

_Notice something?_

**_He smells afraid...and worried. Perhaps not necessarily afraid for himself. The events at the coffee shop are important._ **

She frowned at that. "Did...did something happen at the Daily Grind?"

"...No, nothing important. I was just distracted, trying to figure out modifications for my arm."

And Vivi didn't need Mystery's input to know he was lying. It was obvious. But she decided not to call him on it, not yet. Not when she could go check out the coffee shop herself. Whatever had scared Arthur, she'd get to the bottom of it.

"So you left the coffee shop," Vivi began, thinking over the events. "And then you blacked out while walking down the street. Did anything between you leaving and you blacking out strike you as weird?"

"...I think I may have started having a migraine?" he explained, shrugging helplessly. "My head started hurting right around when I left the coffee shop, and I felt dizzy. It's kind of a blur, and migraines always make me feel off. I don't know, maybe I blacked out because of that? I just...don't remember."

_What's upsetting is that Arthur gets migraines enough that he genuinely might not have realized he was drugged if those were the initial symptoms._

**_You would know more about what may have affected him than I would._ **

Then, remembering something, she asked, "Hey Arthur, Duet actually told me about the prosecutor for the case. Apparently he has a personal stake in this or something?"

Arthur let out an unamused laugh. "Can't imagine why, honestly. I guess he's confident I did it and thinks it'll be an easy win? You're the one who mentioned they care mostly about winning nowadays." He sighed. "Don't like what that says about my chances, but...if anyone can turn this around, it's probably you."

"Aw, thanks Artie," she answered, smiling at him reassuringly. Then, a bit more seriously, she added, "Apparently his name is...Lewis Pepper?"

"...What." Arthur's face had gone sheet white, and Vivi was immediately concerned.

_**There's...a lot to unpack there. Fear, worry, confusion, sorrow, shock...no betrayal, there's very little anger, but he definitely is upset by this revelation. This Lewis Pepper has had an impact on** **him.**_

"Do you know him?" Vivi asked, worried.

"I...he..." Arthur instinctively reached to grab his prosthetic, only to falter when there was only air there. Then, taking a shaking breath, he answered. "No...I guess not."

_Well...that's bullshit._

**_For his sake, I suggest we drop this line of questioning. Still...it would be good to do some research into this Lewis Pepper._ **

_Yeah, I agree. Who knows, maybe_ he's _the one who had Arthur so distracted in the coffee shop yesterday._

**_Best not to jump to conclusions yet._ **

"Visiting hours are over," the guard called, and Vivi and Arthur both jumped in surprise, Mystery giving Vivi an annoyed look after she jostled him.

"I...okay," she reluctantly agreed, before looking back over at Arthur. "Don't worry...I'm going to find the truth, alright?"

"I...I trust you." And he gave her a nervous smile with the barest amount of hope, and Vivi hoped she'd prove herself worthy of that trust.

* * *

_So...what do you think?_ she thought to Mystery as she rode her bike down the street. While the original game plan had involved her transporting Galahad to Lance, she had decided not to risk the most mischievous hamster and the magic dog meeting and simply called Lance about it, which also gave her more time to investigate. _Should we go check the Daily Grind now? I know the owner and she'll probably be willing to talk with me._

_**It's worth considering.** _

_Actually, I'm curious about something._ She turned the next corner, heading in the direction of her and Arthur's favorite coffee shop. _Why didn't they question you joining me in the detention center? I don't think bringing a dog is technically allowed._

**_It's mostly illusion magic. I decided it would be necessary once I realized the potential roadblocks to me traveling with you while you investigate. I was only allowed at the crime scene with you because of the detective's ambivalence, so I simply made myself...beneath notice..._ **

_Guess that makes about as much sense as a talking dog. And yet...Arthur noticed you?_

Mystery let out a sigh as he curled up in the basket. **_Does your friend happen to have an anxiety disorder of some sort? Illusion spells tend to fail with people who are too anxious to ignore any possible threats simply because magic told them to._**

_Oh yeah, Arthur is a giant ball of anxiety._ She grimaced. _Not to mention that if they took away his prosthetic, he might not have had access to his meds. We'll have to stop by his apartment so I can bring them to him tomorrow. I don't think withdrawal symptoms are going to help if they have him testify tomorrow. They might just make him look more guilty in the eyes of the judge._

He let out a quiet growl at that. _**The court system in this country is appalling.**_

_Yeah...yeah, I know..._

And Vivi was here because of that. This was what she had wanted to do for years. Maybe she should have become a prosecutor, to more actively change the system, but she didn't want to risk becoming one of those people who became the very monster they once hated. Besides, she wanted to fight for the people who needed someone on their side, not just put criminals behind bars.

She wondered if this Pepper guy had once wanted to change the system, before becoming the kind of guy who ignored the unethical conflict of interest in order to go after her best friend.

She wondered how Arthur knew him, and why he wasn't willing to tell her anything about it.

Arriving at the Daily Grind, Mystery hopped out of the basket, waiting patiently by her side as she locked her bike to a streetlight.

It was a nice little hole-in-the-wall place, one she and Arthur had found during their college days and loved the hell out of. Vivi had even worked there for a while during law school, before getting her first internship and having to quit to focus on it. The staff was constantly rotating due to most employees being students or recent graduates who needed money while pursuing their intended careers. The only constant was the quality of the coffee and the owner, a sweet lesbian grandma who expressed concerns about how skinny Arthur was and talked about the Stonewall riots in the same kind old lady tone and loved coffee possibly too much.

And it seemed luck was on her side this time, as Minerva herself was behind the counter, coaching a man on how to make a drink.

"Vivienne!" Minerva called the moment she laid eyes on her, the delight clear in her voice. "It's wonderful to see you!" She quickly shooed the man away and gestured for Vivi to come to the counter. "I heard about your first case a few weeks ago! Congratulations on the win!"

"Thanks Minerva," she answered, a bit awkwardly. "Uh...did you hear about Arthur?"

She blinked. "Is something wrong with him?"

"Yeah he...was arrested for murder last night," she explained, and Minerva gasped. "He mentioned he came by before the murder happened, actually, and I think something happened while he was here? Were you working last night?"

"No," Minerva answered, shaking her head. "Missy made me take the day off yesterday, insisting I take it easy. It was just a bit of back pain but you know how she worries. I can talk to those who were on the late shift yesterday, see if any of them noticed anything strange. Arthur's a good kid, I can't imagine him hurting anyone."

Vivi nodded. "Yeah, me neither." _Better not mention the possible drugging yet, otherwise it'll go from Minerva just asking her employees a few questions to her going on the war path for crimes against coffee._

Minerva gave her a smile, not nearly as wide or enthusiastic, and added, "Now, why don't you sit down and I get you something to drink? On the house, for one of my favorite former employees."

Never one to pass up free coffee, Vivi smiled. "Thanks Minerva, I appreciate it."

"And I'll make it myself too, since the new hire is still struggling," she added, shaking her head. "Can't imagine why anyone would think it's a good idea to put _salt_ in a _cappuccino._ "

As Minerva worked on the drink, Vivi headed over to the usual spot by the window, sitting down and looking out in a pseudo-brooding gesture. _Hey Mystery, anything weird around this booth? My guess is that this was where Arthur sat._

**_I'll take a look._ **

He crawled under the table, and Vivi looked around the coffee shop with a critical eye. Normally this was a place to relax, as far as she was concerned, but after hearing what Arthur had said, it felt almost a little hostile now.

_**His scent is strong here, but given the many people who must have sat here, I can't pick out anything particularly unusual among them. The employees have cleaned up any other possible clues I imagine.** _

_Might have to dig through the trash again._

**_Ugh._ **

_Oh don't worry, I'll do all the trash digging myself. I was kind of the one who dragged you into this, so it's only fair._

**_...I appreciate that._ **

The front door opened, causing the little bell to ring, and Vivi glanced over to see a behemoth of a man enter, dressed semi-formally in slacks and a waistcoat of all things. His shoulders were a bit hunched, his smile nervous, and Vivi imagined he was the kind of person who was very aware of how intimidating his size could be and intentionally made himself seem smaller to avoid that. He approached the counter, where the man that Minerva has said was a new hire was now standing while Minerva worked on Vivi's drink.

"Welcome to the Daily Grind," the new barista mumbled, seeming unenthused. "What would you like?"

The man frowned, looking a bit nervously at the menu as if it might come out and bite him, and Vivi noticed him shivering slightly. Ah, maybe it was less trying to appear smaller and more just the fact that it was a late November evening and he appeared to have forgotten a jacket. Dropping in to get a hot drink made sense then, but it appeared he wasn't a regular since he seemed completely stuck on what to get.

"C'mon man, just pick something," the barista continued, a bit rudely, and Vivi rolled her eyes. Minerva clearly had her work cut out with that one.

Instead of leaving the man to flounder, she called out from her table, "Try the hot cocoa! Minerva always adds a bit of cayenne pepper to give it a kick!"

The man jumped, glancing at her with surprise, before turning back to the barista and asking, "One hot cocoa please?"

"Yeah, sure," the barista answered, working on ringing him up. "Ms. Weaver, do you want me to make it or-"

Minerva gave him a look at that. "Young man, we haven't finished your training yet, and I think the poor man deserves a drink without your salt obsession. I'll make his once I'm done with this one."

Unbothered by his coffee-making skills being challenged, the barista gave a shrug and began the process of ringing the man up.

**_There's the same strange smell in this shop._ **

Vivi blinked, glancing down at where Mystery was sitting beneath the table, like a sentry on guard. _You mean that stuff from Arthur's coffee cup?_

_**Yes. There are so many smells though that I can't pinpoint the source from here. Perhaps I could find it, but the illusion magic functions better as long as I remain with you.** _

_Really?_

**_An unsupervised dog is much more suspicious than a dog with a human. It would be hard to remain beneath notice if I was_ _alone._**

_Fair enough,_ she agreed, staring down at the table thoughtfully. _I can probably convince Minerva to let me check things out if I come up with a good reason. Can't tell her about the drugging, or she'll go apeshit and any employees who may have been involved will be too on guard to get anything out of._

Mystery hummed thoughtfully, which sounded weird when it was only in her thoughts, before observing, _**Perhaps Arthur Kingsmen's missing phone would be a good excuse? It's not unreasonable to assume that he lost it here.**_

_Good thinking. I might try that-_

"Um, here?"

She was startled out of her and Mystery's conversation by a sudden voice and a paper coffee cup set in front of her, and she looked up and looked up again to see the large man from before standing there awkwardly, definitely trying to look smaller if he hadn't been before.

"I thought I'd bring your drink to you, as a thanks for the suggestion," he explained, seeming a bit nervous. She was kinda reminded of a late middle school, early high school Arthur, painfully shy and awkward and not sure what to do with how tall he was.

She gave him a smile, assuring him, "It's no big deal! Everything Minerva makes is fantastic, but you looked a bit scared at all the options. First time here?"

"Yes," he admitted, laughing a bit. "But it was a good suggestion. Reminds me of the cocoa I used to drink as a kid."

"Glad to hear it," she answered, before gesturing to the seat across from her. "You can sit down if you want. The more the merrier, you know?"

He blinked, a bit startled at the suggestion, before giving a shy smile and sitting across from her, fingers tapping nervously against the table after a moment. _Ah, a fellow fidgeter._ She knew the feeling of having too much frantic energy to hold onto, letting it out with kicking feet and bouncing knees and waving hands, and so she simply gave him an encouraging smile and said nothing about it.

"So, are you new to the city?" she asked out of curiosity, taking a sip of her drink. It was pretty clear Minerva hadn't let the new barista anywhere near this one, as there was definitely no salt in it beyond the usual to taste.

"I've been here for a few years," he answered. "But...I'll admit I haven't done much exploring. Too busy."

College student, maybe? He seemed around her age, so maybe he was recently graduated, or he had started late. He dressed a bit nice for a college student, but maybe he just enjoyed dressing that way. Whatever he was, she guessed that was fair. The only reason she and Arthur had gotten out nearly as much as they did during their first year of college was because she had literally grabbed any excuse she could to hand out with her best friend. Otherwise, the two of them had been too busy.

"Fair enough," she answered with a shrug. "I can give you some tips on some cool places to check out. Though it doesn't seem like the axe-throwing place a few blocks down the street is your speed."

His eyes widened. "The what now?"

She let out a laugh at his incredulous expression. "Axe-throwing. They have these plywood targets and you can throw axes at them. They even hold competitions sometimes, and you can win money. I treated myself and my best friend to milkshakes with the prize money last time I won."

He looked her over, eyes still wide, and Vivi could literally see him processing how short she was and realizing that the oversized sweater she had chosen to wear today must be hiding serious muscles.

_**I'll admit I didn't expect that one either. But I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised by anything from you, considering your reaction to a dog talking to you.** _

_Don't worry about it. Being underestimated always makes it even more fun when they realize I'm actually jacked._

"That's amazing," the man finally managed, a bit quietly. He sounded a bit awed, though she didn't really understand what for. "You called it, however. I doubt axe throwing is something I'd be very good at." _He says, as if he doesn't have arm muscles for days._ "Do you know any good bookstores in the area?"

She grinned brightly at that. "Absolutely! There's this used bookstore near the courthouse, and it's packed with everything you could ever need. It's pretty cheap too. I pretty much doubled my library going through there. What kind of books do you like?"

"Adventure novels, mostly," he answered. "And...well, I do enjoy a good romance on occasion. What about you?"

"Mystery and horror, though I've read a few good romances that I would absolutely recommend." She could already feel her excitement growing. "I pretty much binge read every Agatha Christie novels while I was in high school. Oh, and if you happen to like manga and don't mind horror, Junji Ito is someone who I highly recommend."

"I'm...well, I'm more of a Sailor Moon fan," he admitted, seeming a bit embarrassed, but she grinned at that.

"Nice! Sailor Moon is quality!" He ducked his head shyly at that, an embarrassed blush on his face, and Vivi thought it was absolutely adorable. "Oh, do you play visual novels? Because one of my favorites is Doki Doki Literature Club."

He let out a nervous laugh. "I went into it blind and it was _terrifying_. I can see how you like it. I honestly felt so bad for the characters after playing it. They all go through so much and in the end they can only be happy by just leaving the game alone. Like Undertale except they don't even get a happy ending before it happens."

Vivi nodded with understanding. "Yeah, I especially felt bad for Yuri. She is put through hell in the second act and you're just forced to watch her break down over time, and there's nothing you can actually do to stop it. It's like watching a friend self-destruct when you can't even do anything to help." Her knee began to bounce as she continued, "I kind of related to her a lot, since a lot of people found me creepy because I liked horror and the macabre, and then when Monika's meddling just made her become more unstable and obsessed with pretty much the only person that seemed to want to hang out with her despite that...it was so sad."

"You're right," the man agreed, nodding quietly. "I suppose I felt the most for Sayori, considering what she went through. And her death at the end of Act 1 was heartbreaking."

"Yeah, I know how you feel. Honestly, I've never wanted video game characters to get therapy more."

Before either of them could say anything else, there was the beep of a phone, and the man tugged is out of his pocket and glanced at the screen before sighing.

"I'm sorry, I have to go," he explained, standing up with his paper cup of cocoa and taking a quick sip. "Thank you for letting me sit with you. I...I had fun."

She grinned at him. "Me too! Hey, maybe we'll run into each other again sometime?"

And he gave her another smile, a bit brighter, and his shoulders weren't quite as hunched, and he answered, "I'd like that." His phone beeped again and he winced. "Right, I should go. Have a good night."

"You too!"

It didn't occur to her until after she saw him heading down the street through the window that she never caught his name.

No time to worry about that though. There was still an investigation to do, and it was getting late.

_Sorry I got distracted. We can go talk to Minerva about Arthur's phone now, see if she'll let us investigate._

**_It's no trouble. I think you needed the break, honestly. Today has been very stressful, and tomorrow is not likely to be any easier._ **

She blinked, then smiled. _Thanks buddy._ Then, after a moment, she asked, _Do you have an actual name I can call you? I just kind of came up with Mystery on the spot, but if you have another name then I can use that one._

_**...No. I like it.** _

_Alright then. Whatever makes you happy._

And, judging by the way his tail was wagging ever so slightly, she had a feeling that whatever she said had done just that.

* * *

It took little effort at all to get Minerva to let her into the backroom, and she only made her promise not to "break anything too much" before heading back up to the front. And Vivi immediately tugged her phone from her pocket and called Arthur.

She heard the familiar ringtone immediately, but not from the Lost-and-Found box that sat in the corner. No, it was coming from another corner, where a small wire trashcan sat.

_Called it. Digging through the trash again._

Luckily it wasn't too messy, the remains of a sandwich wrapper and a couple of empty coffee cups and a shit ton of seemingly unused napkins before she found a very familiar cell phone sitting there. The ringtone, which was still going, was a guitar riff she had written ages ago, back when she and Arthur were in high school and had been _so convinced_ that they were going to start a band and get famous. It hadn't worked out, but she still played guitar and occasionally wrote music.

_**Why would the phone be thrown away instead of put with the other lost items?** _

_If I were to guess, I'd say whoever tossed it didn't want it to be found. So they threw it out and buried it under napkins._

**_So this was theft, not simply him accidentally leaving his phone behind._ **

_Looks like it._ She looked at the charge of the phone, frowning. _Though I think they probably tried to break into it first. It's over sixty percent nearly a whole day after he lost it._

She typed in the passcode, a long, convoluted one that had taken forever to memorize, because Arthur was paranoid like that, and opened it up to find everything in working order. Looking at the notifications, he had few missed calls and unread text messages, at least one voicemail, a few emails he hadn't checked, a notification for that tree app he liked so much, etc. Seemed like nothing was off.

_Guess Arthur's paranoia about someone stealing his phone was justified._

**_Smartphones are expensive, and many people keep valuable information on them._ **

_Fair enough._

She went through the text messages first, finding nothing unusual in them. A couple of them were from her, asking about whether he'd still be available to go check out that new movie they had both wanted to see and then sharing a funny quote from a book she had read. Lance had also texted, asking if he'd come in to look at a car, give him a second opinion, before a few concerned messages several minutes afterward when he hadn't gotten a response.

Looking at the missed calls, two were from Lance, one from Minerva's wife, and once had been from a number that wasn't saved onto his phone, probably a bot or something, and then there was the one from her only moments before. She went ahead and touched the voicemail notification, typing in Arthur's pin number and putting the phone on speaker for Mystery's benefit.

" _You have three unheard messages_," the bot said. " _First unheard message._ "

" _Art, I swear to god, if you don't pick up I'm gonna to ground you next time I see you. No, I don't care if you're an adult now. This ain't what I call a good joke, you under-_ "

" _Mr. Kingsmen!_ " a voice called in the background, someone Vivi could barely recognize as one of Arthur's coworkers at the shop. " _Your nephew is on the news!_ "

"... _The hell?!_ "

" _End of message. To repeat this message, press one. To save it in the archives, press two. To hear more options, press-_ "

Vivi pressed two on the keypad, sighing. It seemed Lance had found out about Arthur's arrest the same way she had. 

" _Next unheard message_."

" _Hey Art, it's Artemisia. The ol' oven is actin' up again and I was wonderin' if you'd be willin' to fix it up. I'm plannin' on payin' but Minny will prolly try and feed ya too. Tell Vivi I said hi._ "

_I guess neither she nor Minerva checked the news._ She pressed two absentmindedly, saving the message just in case. _Who knows, maybe it might come in handy._

" _Next unheard message_."

And then there was an explosion of static, one which had Vivi recoiling and Mystery pressing his paws to his ears in distress. And then there was a voice, cracking and barely audible.

" _U̧͜n҉w̴̢͞a̶̡̛͜n͏͢t҉̨͘̕e҉̵҉͏d̶̷̡̢,̢̢͜͢ ̧͏̵ư͢͠n̢̕n̷̨e̢̨̕͢͠c̵̴̨͜e̡̡͟ş̵͜͝s̵̷͜a͢͟ŗ̸̡y҉̵̸̸,̛͡ ̶̨͝͞u̴͜͢n̨l̷̨̕ǫ̸͠v̨̨͢͟e̷̸͘͞d̴.҉͏͟ ̡̧̕Y͘͟o͜͠ư̷͘͞'̧̡̕҉r̡̛e̴̕ ̸̕j̶͢u͘͢͠s̛͘͏t̷̢͟ ͡͡ţ̢̕͡ḩ͢҉ȩ̸̸̷͘r҉҉҉̧̛e̢̡̢͝ ̕͘t̴҉̵o̵̢̡ ̶̛̛͡f͜͝͏̷͘i͡l̷̴l̴̵͢͢͞ ̷͏̢͏s̛͡҉̨p̴̴͟͠a͜c̶͟e҉̛.͘҉͜ ̶̢͘͡Y͏̨͏o̴u̷̵'̴̢͟r͢͠ę ͠͠n̸͢͟o͜͜͞ţ҉͞h̡̨i̵͟͢n̷̶̨͏̕g̴̸͝͞.͟ ̶͜͞H̵̵͢e̴͝͝͝ ͘͏̷͠w̷̶̢̡̛a̧͟n͜҉̢̨t̛̕͝s̷̶̷ ̧̛n̴̨o͏̸̨t̶̸̢͏ḩi̸̧̨͘͜ņ̵̛̛g̸̴͜͝ ̷̷̢t̢̡͡͞o̷̶̧͘͠ ̡̡̢d͟͟͞o̴̢ ̴̶̸͜w̡̕i̸̛͟͠t̡͝͠͞h̛͞ ҉̷̡̨̡y̵̧̨͘o̕̕u̵̷̡͞.̨͡ ͢͝S͝҉h̡͟ę̶̛͡͠ ̷̧o̧n͡l̡͡҉͞y̷͝ ̷̕͢s̷͘͘͢t͞͡a͏̵͞y̕̕͞͝s͘͡ ̸͞o̶͏̕͟u͏̵͟͝t̢̡ o̸͞͞f̕ ͡͝͞p̵̷i̧҉̷͘t̡҉҉y̶͢.̶̛ ̶̵̨̢͘I͢͢͟t̛͟'̶͢͞d҉̕ ̷̢͟͡b͘e̡͘ ̢̕͡b͏͝͠͏͏e͢҉҉̛t̸̛͘͟t̷̶̡̕e͘͏̸͘͜r̢͠͡ ̸̵i̸̸̸̛̕f̡̛͟͜ ҉͢y͠͝o͡u̶̷̧͡ ̷̴̧͠d̵̷̕͠͡i̸͜͜şa̕͢͠p̸͢҉̡͜p̵̢͠͠e̸a̧͘r̵̢ę̴̸͠d͏̨͏̸̡.̢̛͠͡_ "

Mystery let out a growl at the voice, which continued to speak it the garbled, static-filed tone, and what words Vivi managed to pick out only pissed her off.

" _Ţ̶̧̧͜h̢͡҉͟e̴͘͠ ̵͏o̴͜n̴̨l̶y̷͢͢͜͝ ̶͞͡҉g̵͜͡o̵̢͝o͝͏͏d҉̴̶ ̛͢͜y̢͝͝o̡͏ư̸'̴͠͏ḑ̢͘ ̡̡d̵̷o̷ ͞f̕o҉̷͡ŗ̕͢ ͝t̵̵̨͝h̵͏ę̸̸͟͡ ̶w͢ǫ͟͟͜͝r̨̕l̷͟͝҉d̴͞͠҉̸ ̷̢̢͡͏i̸͜ş ̷̨̧҉i̸̧͘͘f̡͝͠҉̴ ̷̕͟y̛͢ơ̴u̶҉-_ " and then it cut off, going silent for a good, long moment.

Then...

" _End of message. To repeat this message, press one. To save-_ "

Vivi pressed two, despite how much she wanted to delete it. Delete it and go track down the bastard who had left such an awful message on her best friend's phone. But no...it could be evidence. Of what, exactly, she didn't know. But she couldn't delete it yet, not until they proved it wasn't useful.

**_That voice wasn't human._ **

She took a shaking breath, hanging up on the voicemail as she did. _Sounds like, whoever or_ whatever _that voice belonged to, they had it out for Arthur. Maybe they had a hand in framing him for the murder._

Mystery nodded. _**Judging by Arthur's account, it's not out of the question that the murder was planned intentionally to cause him to doubt himself, make him unsure of his own innocence. And given that this voice was clearly attempting to prey on him and make him feel lesser-**_

_Then they'd have something to gain by convincing him that he killed someone during a blackout._ Then she frowned. _But it doesn't seem to have worked, considering Arthur doesn't seem all that convinced of his guilt beyond some doubt earlier._

**_He did say that he trusted you. Perhaps, even when he can't trust himself, he has faith in you and your judgment. And you have been asserting the entire time that he couldn't have done it, that you'll find the truth no matter what. He believes in you._ **

_That...huh..._ She couldn't help the fluttery happy feeling in her chest, at the idea that he could really have that much faith in her. _Then I'd better prove I'm worthy of that. Do you smell that weird substance in here?_

**_Unfortunately, yes._** Mystery walked over to a cabinet, nudging it open carefully. Then he poked his paw at a bag that was sitting inside of it. _**In here.**_

Vivi was about to investigate when she heard the knob begin to turn, and she gestured for Mystery to back away from the cabinet as she began looking through the Lost-and-Found box like she was on a mission.

The new barista walked in, blinking at the sight of her at the box. "Damn, you're still here?"

She gave him a saccharine smile. "Sorry, just need to make sure. I'll be out of your hair soon enough..." She glanced at the name tag on his shirt. "Gavin, huh?"

"Yeah, well hurry it up," he griped, turning away from her and ignoring Mystery's presence.

_We should go. Whatever is in that cup is going to have to be good enough until we can prove something. I don't think we can get away with taking anything that isn't from the trash or Lost-and-Found._

**_I suppose that makes sense. Still...I imagine tomorrow will be a difficult fight, if the detective from before is correct about the prosecutor._ **

Vivi stood up, brushing herself off and giving a quick wave to Gavin before heading for the door, Mystery at her heels.

_Yeah...it's going to be a long day tomorrow._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Japanese Translation for those on mobile who can't use use the hover text as a result, as well as the romanji:  
> * いいえ (Iie, pronounced ee-eh) - No  
> * 話しましたか (Hanashimashita ka?) - Did you speak? (note that the symbol at the end, か or "ka" is how questions are expressed in formal speech and writing, while in informal speech you drop the ka sound and simply use a rising intonation, symbolized with a question mark in writing)  
> * 夢です (Yumedesu) - It's a dream. (Using desu after a noun makes it a sentence. Also, I wanted to use something a bit more natural but I am still very new to Japanese and this is what I've got.)
> 
> Kudos to [AlexSeanchai](https://alexseanchai.tumblr.com) for teaching me (along with several other people) how to include hover text translations using HTML, something I made use of for the first time in this fic. I don't know if they care about Mystery Skulls Animated or Ace Attorney at all but they are pretty cool and encourage accessibility when writing works on AO3, and, if you found me through my Miraculous Ladybug works, you'll probably enjoy checking them out.


	2. Chapter 2

Vivi was impressed by how effective Mystery's apparent illusion magic was. Almost nobody in the courthouse seemed to notice the dog walking with her into the defendant lobby, sitting on the couch with her as she looked through the evidence folder, which now included a picture of the coffee cup that Duet had assured her was getting tested and the photograph the witness had taken.

The photograph was...interesting, to say the least. Something about it was off, as far as she was concerned, but it was a bit hard to focus on that when staring at a picture of her best friend, standing in front of a dead body. There was blood all over the back of his clothes and blood on his hands, and the set of his shoulders in the photo told Vivi that the Arthur in that pictures was _terrified_.

"Hey, you brought the dog to court too?"

Vivi shoved the evidence folder aside to tackle Arthur, who yelped in surprise as she did.

"It's going to be okay," she assured him calmly, holding him tightly. "Whatever happens in there, I've got your back, alright? It's going to be okay?"

Arthur went stiff for a second, before relaxing into the gesture. "Okay. I...thanks, Vivi. I don't think I can repay you for this."

"Don't worry about it," she assured him, finally releasing him to dig around in her bag for a medicine bottle and the canteen of water she had brought. "Also, I stopped by your apartment and grabbed your anxiety medication."

"Oh, thank fuck," Arthur muttered. "But seriously, what's with the dog?"

_How much are you willing to tell him? Because I trust him with my life but your secrets are your own._

**_...Not yet._ **

"Oh, his name is Mystery," Vivi explained, reaching over to scratch behind Mystery's ears as she did. "I actually found him tired and hungry on the streets not long before I saw on the news that you'd been arrested. He's been sticking with me since."

Arthur frowned, immediately realizing that a question hadn't been answered, but instead of saying anything he simply sighed and held out his hand to Mystery, who made a show of sniffing it before rubbing his head against it. And Arthur let out a small smile at that.

"He seems like a good dog," Arthur observed, giving Mystery a scratch behind the ears, and Mystery's tail wagged at that. Then, turning to Vivi, he added, "Could you, uh...could you help me with my pills? I only have one hand to work with right now."

Vivi nodded in understanding, "I've got you, Arthur."

The process of him taking his anxiety medication was a bit more complicated with three hands, only one of them belonging to the person taking them, but eventually Arthur let out a relieved sigh at getting it done and sat down on the couch next to Mystery, who very quickly decided the best solution was to climb onto his lap and nestle there.

**_He needs the reassurance, even if he won't ask for it._ **

_Thanks, Mystery. I'm sure he appreciates it._

"So, are you supposed to be testifying today?" Vivi asked, and Arthur shook his head.

"No, my statement is enough according to the police. I'll only have to testify if I remember anything else or if they need me to testify about anything not mentioned in it." He grimaced, trying to grab his prosthetic and failing again. "I don't particularly want to end up on the stand anyway. The whole situation is terrifying enough without getting picked apart in front of everyone."

Vivi nodded in understanding. "Alright. I can't promise you won't have to go up-" Especially considering that whatever happened at the coffee shop was probably relevant "-but I'm sure you'll probably be allowed a recess to prepare yourself before you have to. Even if I have to insist on it myself."

"Heh...thanks Vivi."

She grinned up at him, hands on her hips. "Don't worry, Artie. I know you didn't do it, now I just have to prove it." To everybody, and to Arthur too.

Arthur gave a nervous smile, petting Mystery as he did. "Okay."

* * *

The man behind the prosecutor's bench, Mr. Lewis Pepper himself, was a behemoth, even taller than Arthur with broad shoulders. He was dressed formally in a purple waistcoat and black suit jacket that was well fitted to his body, and he had a coldly furious expression on his face, making no attempt to appear smaller or less intimidating.

And Vivi recognized him instantly.

_Son of a bitch._

**_I'll admit, I didn't see that one coming._ **

_Neither did I,_ she answered, taking a deep breath as she took her position, and Pepper immediately reacted, his eyes going wide and the tall, intimidating stature falling away for a moment in his shock. _But it looks like he didn't either._

Pepper, who yesterday had tried his hardest to look so small, who had listened to her ramble about Doki Doki Literature Club and admitted to liking Sailor Moon and romance novels, was the same guy who was determined to throw her best friend in jail. That same man stared at Vivi with wide eyes, as if unable to comprehend that of all the people he'd be facing in court, it was her.

_I guess he didn't like running into each other again as much as he thought._

**_Considering how he acted yesterday, I'm curious about how accurate Duet's description of him was._ **

She gave him a smile, all teeth and no joy, because it didn't matter how friendly he had been yesterday. He chose to be here, after all. He had taken the case, conflict of interest be damned, and she was going to make him fight for any ground he wanted to get. Whatever his deal was with Arthur, Vivi would pick her best friend over a seemingly nice stranger in a heartbeat.

She let her face relax as Arthur was brought in, seated in the defendant's chair near the door, and as their eyes met for a moment she gave him a reassuring smile, causing him to give her a nervous one back. Then, he glanced over at the prosecution and his smile disappeared, replaced with...huh...

 _ **Sorrow.**_ Seemed Mystery was just as surprised by that reaction as she was. _**Whatever their connection before this day, it appears that Arthur is upset to find himself in opposition to Mr. Pepper.**_

_Why the hell have I never heard of this guy, if the two of them know each other enough for Pepper to have a vendetta and Arthur to be sad about it?_

The banging of a gavel drew her attention to judge, who declared, "Court is now in session for the trial of Arthur Kingsmen."

Pepper shook his head, that cold anger back on his face. "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

_Well he certainly sounds more confident than he did yesterday._

"The defense is ready," Vivi added, straightening her shoulders and giving Pepper a look. _Hey jackass, remember how good I am at throwing axes? I hope you think about that the entire time this trial goes on, especially every time you cause my best friend emotional distress._

_**...Remind me never to invite your fury.** _

_Don't worry, I'll give you a head start if I'm ever pissed at you._

**_How...reassuring..._ **

"Ms. Yukino, I'm a bit surprised," the judge continued, looking over at her. "Your second trial and it's another murder. I would have thought a nice young lady like you would take a break from such gruesome cases after your first."

_Ugh, end me._

"Well Your Honor, they called me Creepy Vivi in school for a reason," she answered simply. "And my minor in college was in forensics, and one of the things we ended up doing in one of my classes was go to a body farm to study the different stages of decay for human bodies. Considering I didn't get to see the body for myself and it was found before it could significantly decay, this isn't that gruesome."

The judge, now mildly uncomfortable, said, "I...see." He cleared his throat. "Mr. Pepper, you may begin your opening statement."

_Go time._

"On November 26th, the victim, Jonathan Pott, was walking home from a convention. On the way, he went to go through an alleyway as a shortcut. Unfortunately, the defendant, Arthur Kingsmen, was waiting. He pushed the man against the wall and stabbed him in the throat." Pepper looked at Arthur with a cold glare, and Arthur flinched.

_I wish I had an axe. One of my shoes would probably function well enough though._

**_Please don't get us thrown out of the courtroom._ **

"The prosecution intends to prove that the defendant murdered Pott that night, and ensure that he never commits such vile crimes ever again."

Arthur looked...well, he looked devastated. Like Pepper saying that genuinely hurt him.

_Don't worry, Artie. I'm going to kick his ass once this trial is over._

"Hold on," the judge began, confused. "Mr. Pepper, the defendant only has one arm. How would he have been able to commit the crime in the way you mentioned?"

Vivi grimaced. "Actually, Your Honor, Arthur has a prosthetic arm. The police took it when he was arrested." She gave Pepper a dirty look, as if he was the one directly responsible for that. Or who knows, maybe he was. "While I fully believe that Arthur was not responsible for the death of Mr. Pott, the version of events Mr. Pepper suggested are technically possible. It would cause a lot of stress on his shoulder though."

Pepper, now looking slightly unnerved by Vivi's glare, cleared his throat a little awkwardly, adding, "The prosecution would like to submit the prosthetic device itself as evidence."

"Hmm...very well."

A police officer brought in Arthur's prosthetic arm, his baby, and set it down with the rest of the evidence, including the knife, the photos, Arthur's bloody clothes, and the coffee cup. Vivi could see the blood on it and frowned, thoughtfully. _Something is wrong about where the blood is on it._

"The prosecution would like to call Detective Duet Carmen to the stand," Pepper continued, having recovered from Vivi's scorn, and she took a deep breath.

_There probably won't be too many inconsistencies in their testimony, just have to press to get some details so no information is withheld._

**_They didn't seem like the sort to hide evidence that would hurt their case._ **

_They aren't, but Pepper could have told them not to share certain information under the assumption that it wasn't necessary to know it. And even if they have a disdain for prosecutors, they do still have to eat._

Duet took the stand with a bland smile on their face, clearly wanting to be pretty much anywhere but there.

"Name and occupation?"

"Detective Duet Carmen, professional babysitter for prosecutors," they answered casually, and Vivi bit back a laugh.

Pepper gave him a glare at that, not that it did anything to break their cool exterior, before asking, "Could you explain to the court what you found in your investigation?"

"Sure, whatever," they answered.

_Okay...here we go._

* * *

_Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuugh._

**_I am inclined to_ _agree._ **

She grimaced as she sat on the couch in the defendant lobby, looking through the court record as she did. Duet's testimony hadn't had any serious inconsistencies, as far as she could tell. Either they hadn't had any information to hide, or they were incredibly desperate to avoid any more salary cuts.

"How is it that I'm exhausted and I haven't even done anything all day?" Arthur asked, flopping down onto the couch beside her, and she sighed, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder.

"It's probably the anxiety."

"Yeah, probably." He groaned, rubbing his hand against his face. "I think I prefer working at Uncle Lance's shop over what you have to deal with. Your job just seems stressful."

She nodded. "That's fair."

They sat in slightly awkward silence, Vivi not lifting her eyes from the folder in her lap even once as they did. She could feel as Mystery jumped up onto the couch to join them, curling up in Arthur's lap again to provide reassurance, and she decided it was a good thing her co-counsel was a highly intelligent magic dog.

...Jeez, her life was weird.

"Sorry I can't be more help," Arthur said suddenly, and this caused Vivi to look up at him, watching as he absentmindedly pet Mystery while staring at the floor. "You're doing all of this for me and I can't even remember enough of what happened to help you."

"Don't apologize!" she insisted, shutting the folder and setting it aside. "For one, I'm your best friend, and I want to help you out. And for another, you at the very least went through a traumatic experience and then were immediately arrested, denied your medication and had your prosthetic taken away, and then told repeatedly you committed a crime when you didn't. If I went through that kind of experience, would you blame me for struggling?"

Arthur grimaced. "No, of course not."

She wrapped an arm around his shoulders at that, promising, "I'm going to do everything I can to find out the truth, okay? And maybe it'll be stressful, I chose this job for a reason. So...trust me, okay? You're doing what you can and I appreciate it."

"I...okay." He took a shaking breath. "Thanks Vivi."

"No problem, Artie." She gave him a squeeze before releasing him to grab the court record again. "Whatever happens in there, I'm going to make sure you're okay."

* * *

_**Why is the witness faceless?** _

Vivi looked at the girl who was being led to the stand and blinked with surprise at the fact that Mystery's observation was not far off. Her face was in complete shadow under a green hood and the blond bangs of a wig, the only thing visible being the light reflecting off her glasses. Add the sleeves of her strange costume trailing far past where her arms ended and there was no visible skin to see.

_I...have no idea._

"Name and occupation, please?" Pepper asked.

"Chloe Rowell," she began, and there was definite excitement in her voice as she bounced behind the bench, full of frantic energy. "I am a sophomore in high school and work at a bookstore, but I also make money on the side making and photographing cosplay!"

"Oh, did you make the costume you are wearing currently?" the judge asked, and she nodded vigorously.

"Yeah, this one took me forever, especially the boots! Honestly shoe cover ups never look good but I'm not actually a shoemaker, or a cobbler? But they ended up coming out looking great all the same and I ended up having a lot of fun styling this wig, though it took a lot of hairspray to-"

"Objection!" Vivi called, and Chloe and the judge both jumped. "While I like cosplay as much as the next nerd, we _are_ in the middle of a trial." _And while stalling is nice, I can't figure out inconsistencies in a testimony I can't hear._

"Oh, whoops," Chloe continued, a little sheepishly. "Just got excited. Old people never get excited about my hobbies."

The judge gave an offended cough, before saying, "Witness, could you please explain what you saw the night of the murder."

"You got it!" she answered, giving him a thumbs up. "So I was at a convention all day, taking photos of cosplayers, so I had my camera with me. But I was pooped so I decided to go home. But then I smelled something weird while I was walking, so I backed up and noticed it was coming from beside this store I didn't go by often. So I went into the alleyway and saw this guy standing over a dead body, and he was covered in blood! I think he had to have just killed the guy! So I took a picture immediately and ran to a nearby store before calling the police."

_**Hmm...nothing strikes me as a lie. Despite her enthusiasm, there is a little fear that I can smell, but that may be due to witnessing something traumatizing.** _

Vivi frowned. _Yeah, she did say she was only in high school. Even I would have been pretty messed up if I had randomly come across a dead body in high school. At least with the body farm when I was in college I was prepared for most of it._

**_Most?_ **

_Nothing can prepare you for the smell of decaying human flesh._

"The defense may begin the cross-examination," the judge spoke up, and Vivi thought over the testimony carefully.

"A convention, huh?" she asked, thinking back over Pepper's beginning statement. "Wasn't the victim also returning home from a convention?"

"Oh yeah, it was a big deal," Chloe explained cheerfully. "Not as big as San Diego Comic Con or anything, but the voice actors from a super popular show were going to have a panel. I prefer 90's anime myself but I know a lot of my friends were excited about it! The dead guy must have wanted to see the panel himself!"

Vivi nodded after a moment. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense." _If I hadn't spent the last few year being so busy, I might have paid more attention to convention schedules myself._ "Did you notice anything strange about the defendant when you took the picture?"

Chloe held up a sleeve-covered hand to the side of her hood as she thought about it. "Well...other than the blood and the fact that he was standing over a dead body, he looked kinda sweaty and off balance? Like you could poke him and he'd fall over. 'Course, I think I'd be pretty messed up if I killed someone, so I don't think it's that weird."

_Fair enough. What else..._

"So you took the photo immediately after seeing the body?"

"Yep!" Chloe shuddered. "It was really creepy and wrong, a lot worse than they make it look on TV, but I was scared the cops wouldn't take me seriously if I didn't have proof of what I saw, and I had my camera right there, so I took a picture and ran so the guy couldn't kill me too."

_Huh...actually, there's something wrong with that statement._

**_Do you think she's lying?_ **

_No. I don't. But..._ She pulled open her folder and looked at the photograph inside.

"Ms. Rowell, do all your photos have time-stamps on them?" she asked, looking up.

"Yep!" Chloe answered with a nod. "Date and time. Some people don't like it, but I like having a reminder of when I took the photo! It's really cool!"

"And you changed the clock on your camera to account for daylight savings time, right?"

Chloe nodded again, remaining chipper.

Vivi smiled. "Alright, I do believe that. But I believe you were wrong about one thing. According to the autopsy report, the victim died at around 7:30, with about a ten minute margin of error. But the timestamp on your phone indicates the photo was taken at nearly nine!"

She gasped, raising her sleeve-covered hands to her face. "Really?!"

"Objection!"

_Of course._

Pepper shook his head, his frown deepening. "The time the photo was taken doesn't matter. It clearly shows the defendant at the crime scene with the victim, covered in the victim's blood."

"Objection!" Vivi called, slamming her hands on the table. "That is a significant time gap, Mr. Pepper, one that no one can account for! There easily could have been someone else involved who took the time to escape!"

"Objection! Do you even have proof of another person at the crime scene?!"

_...Shit._

"Objection sustained," the judge remarked, and Vivi grimaced. "This time gap is mysterious, but ultimately we can't proceed with this line of questioning without proof of another person's presence."

Vivi let out an annoyed growl, before looking back at the picture. _Something is still_ wrong _with this. It's not just the timestamp, there's just something that doesn't make sense!_ With a shaking breath, she closed her eyes. _Okay, just...new angle. Pepper's description of the events. Pott was shoved against the wall and stabbed in the neck. Knife had to be pulled out to get the kind of spray we saw...got it!_

"If there is no other concerns regarding this photo, perhaps we should continue with the trial."

She smirked. "Actually, Your Honor, I do have a concern, if the prosecution would be willing to assist me?"

"...What?" Pepper now looked confused.

Vivi grabbed a pen from her bag and walked around the bench, coming forward near the center of the room and gesturing for Pepper to join her. "I need your help to demonstrate something for the court, and to confirm a theory. I think a visual would be the best way to go about it."

Pepper's confidence fell, and he looked weirdly hesitant as he joined her, and the confusion on his face grew as she passed him the pen from her bag.

"We know Arthur was taller than the victim, so Mr. Pepper will act as Arthur in this demonstration and I'll act as the victim," Vivi began, and Pepper startled, looking slightly alarmed. "According to the prosecution, Arthur attacked the victim by using one arm to hold him against the wall and the other to stab him in the neck. Mr. Pepper?"

"Uh...okay?" Suddenly he was a lot more like the man she had met last night, awkward and nervous as he tapped the tip of her pen to her neck, right around where the victim was stabbed.

_Well, he definitely wasn't a theatre kid. Or maybe he just wasn't prepared to have to reenact a murder._

"The pressure of blood from the carotid arteries is pretty significant," Vivi added, "so the blood would have sprayed forward, covering the front of Arthur's clothes and himself in the process, mostly on his face, torso, and arms." Then, pushing Pepper's arm aside so the pen was no longer touching her neck, she turned to the judge and placed her hands on her hips, adding, "However, the photo presents a contradiction to the prosecution's explanation! See for yourself, Your Honor!"

The judge blinked, before looking closely at the picture, before his eyes went wide. "I see! His back is splattered with blood!"

She could hear the distressed noise from Pepper behind her and bit back a smirk.

"Exactly," she continued, grinning broadly as she returned to the defense bench. "That alone calls the prosecution's story into question. If Arthur had been facing the victim when he was stabbed, the blood would have ended up only on the front of him. Examining the blood on his arm and clothes shows the majority of it ended up on his back, with the largest amount actually on his pants legs and shoes."

"But...but how is that possible?!" the judge asked, eyes wide.

Vivi grinned. "It's actually very simple. The crime mostly occurred as the prosecution determined it, but with one key difference: Instead of stabbing the victim, Arthur was actually laying face-down on the ground, his feet pointed in the general direction of the victim."

"Objection!"

_Seems like Pepper isn't going to go down without a fight._

"That...that makes no sense! Why would the defendant be on the ground in the middle of an alleyway?!"

"An excellent question!" _Got 'em right where I want 'em._ "If you recall Arthur's statement in the court record, he mentions experiencing symptoms of what he assumed was a migraine before blacking out. The defense would like to suggest the possibility of someone drugging him."

"Dr-Drugging?" Pepper stammered, and it appeared he hadn't recovered from his sudden batch of nerves moments ago. "Do you even have the evidence to back up something like that?!"

She frowned. "Other than the blood, no, not yet. However, Arthur's coffee cup was submitted into evidence. We could have it tested for possible drugs?"

Pepper shut his eyes, looking pained. "That...that could take days."

"Actually, there _is_ a quicker way to go about it."

Both Vivi and Pepper jumped as Duet approached the stand, and an enthralled Chloe willingly stepped back to allow them to stand there for the second time that day.

"D-Detective!" Pepper began, shocked.

Duet smirked, before tugging a bag from their pocket, containing several strange circular things. "The defense suggested the possibility of a drugging last night after we located the cup in a dumpster. I knew testing would take a while, since the forensics office is already working multiple cases at a time. But then I remembered I had these." They opened the bag, pulling one out. "I normally give them to my friends when we go out drinking, so they can check if their drinks were tampered with, but I figured they'd be useful for checking in this case, since the cup isn't empty. Of course, it would be unethical of me to do my own testing without permission."

The judge frowned. "I see...how long would it take to receive results?"

"About three minutes at most," they answered.

"I see. Very well, you are authorized to test the contents."

They nodded, pulling on a pair of nitrile gloves and approaching the evidence table. From there, they opened the cup, dipped a gloved finger inside, and carefully tapped the now wet finger to the disk.

It was silent for a very long moment, and Vivi glanced at Mystery nervously.

**_It will be alright._ **

_I sure hope so._

"One line," Duet announced after a minute of tense silence. "The test detected something in the drink."

And the courtroom exploded into noise.

She could see Arthur move to grab his missing arm instinctively, looking quietly horrified at the revelation, and her heart went out to him. _You didn't do it, Artie, see? They may have tried to convince you you did, but here's the proof. It wasn't your fault._

"Objection!" Pepper shouted, all cool gone in that moment. "But...the fingerprints! The knife has his fingerprints on it!"

Vivi wasted no time there, already on a roll. "Objection! Look at the handle of the knife!" She gestured to the evidence table, explaining, "The fingerprints are made _from_ blood, indicating his hand was already bloody when he put it on the knife. There should be a void space where his hand gripped the knife, because the pressure of gripping it would have kept blood from spreading to where his fingers were pressed. And that may not be evidence to prove that he wasn't the one to commit the crime, but we can't use them as definitive evidence that he _did_. If he was unconscious in the alleyway, it would be easy to plant his fingerprints on the weapon without him knowing."

"Sustained," the judge agreed, and Vivi gave a relieved sigh. "This new information is...concerning, to say the least. The court would like to request further investigation from the prosecution and defense, in order to answer the questions that have come to light."

Pepper grit his teeth in frustration, before saying, "Yes, Your Honor."

"Of course," Vivi agreed with a sharp nod.

"This trial will continue tomorrow morning. For now, court is adjourned."

* * *

**_I imagine we'll need to speak to Arthur, considering the events at the coffee shop have suddenly become much more relevant._ **

_Yeah, but he's probably be in questioning for that exact reason by the time we get there. The Daily Grind will be under investigation, but they should let me in since I've got my letter of request._ Then, she grimaced as she turned a corner, speeding down the bike lane and dodging cars that had been parked in it. _But if the person who drugged Arthur was in the gallery, they might have removed the evidence of the drug itself._

**_That is a concern. Do you have any suspicions about who could have done it?_ **

_The staff there is pretty much rotating constantly, mostly college students,_ Vivi explained, a bit frustrated. _Minerva's the only constant, but we've been going there for years. If she was going to hurt Arthur, she had plenty of opportunities. Hell, Arthur has been to her house by himself to help her out with_ _maintenance!_

Mystery let out a small huff, resting his head against the edge of the basket. _**The voicemail that we listened to last night, the voice over it wasn't human. Whatever purposes they had with Arthur, perhaps they had a human agent acting in some way to manipulate him or hurt him further?**_ He tilted his head then, a bit thoughtful. _**It's likely a pattern of incidents instead of just this one. You might want to ask the detective if they are aware of any disappearances or unexplained deaths in the area.**_

She frowned. _Yeah, I think I will. Not sure how I'll bring it up yet, but I'll figure something out._ She skidded to a stop outside the Daily Grind, locking her bike to the streetlight. _Got your nose ready?_

**_Of course._ **

"Vivienne!" Minerva greeted, looking frazzled as Vivi showed the officer at the door her letter of request. The entire shop was full of cops talking to employees, and she could see police coming in and out of the backroom at a rate that meant the door couldn't even shut completely before it was opened again.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Vivi asked, a bit worried as she approached Minerva.

She gave a tired smile. "Oh it's hectic for sure. I was just about to let you know about who was working the other night when the police showed up with a warrant and a request to talk to those employees!" She shook her head, a scowl on her face. "When I find who was responsible for tainting the lifeblood of this business and hurting one of my kids, they're going to have to call an ambulance."

_**I'm not sure which of you is more terrifying.** _

"Yeah, I don't blame you," Vivi agreed with a firm nod. "Do you have that list? I'd like to talk to some of the employees myself once the police are done."

"Don't worry, I wrote you a copy." She tugged a folded piece of receipt paper from her pocket and passed it to Vivi, who opened it up and stared at the list of unfamiliar names. "How's Arthur doing, by the way?"

Vivi sighed. "Holding up as best he can." Then, she took a deep breath. "Listen...something happened here that night, before Arthur left. Something that freaked him out. He won't talk to me about it, so I'm hoping one of your employees might know?"

Minerva frowned deeply at that. "That's awful. Do you think whoever drugged him was involved?"

"Probably. Do you have any employees who gave you bad vibes, or were acting in a way that made you or other employees feel unsafe?"

"No, not really," she answered. "Though I guess you can't always know, can you?"

"Yeah...you really can't."

Before either of them could say anything, there was the clearing of a throat, and the two turned to see a police officer standing there.

"Ms. Weaver," she began, "we have a few more questions for you, if that's alright?"

She nodded, a coldly determined expression on her face. "Of course." Then, giving Vivi a gentle smile, she added, "Make sure to say goodbye before you leave, alright?"

Vivi nodded, watching as Ms. Weaver ran off, and glanced at Mystery. _Anything off about what she said?_

**_Nothing consciously a lie. She did react somewhat to your mention of an employee, just the slightest bit of fear, but it was such a mild reaction that it was likely she didn't even recognize it herself._ **

_So there_ was _someone that made her uncomfortable, she just doesn't realize it._

**_That's what it appears to be._ **

_Hmm..._ She looked around the Daily Grind thoughtfully, her eyes landing on a seemingly unoccupied Duet. _You know, considering how many people are here, your illusion magic might be able to keep you hidden if you were to go sniff out the backroom again?_

Mystery tilted his head thoughtfully, before giving a small nod. **_That should work. You'll be talking to the detective then?_**

_Yep, and we'll meet back by the counter when we're both done. Sound good?_

**_Perfect. Good luck._ **

_You too._

Only Vivi noticed as the dog weaved carefully through the police traveling between the rooms, acting very much like he belonged there despite being a dog of the non-police variety. She waited for a moment, just to make sure no one would catch him, before turning and heading over to Duet.

"Enjoying yourself?" she greeted, and the groan they gave in response was answer enough. "Yeah, sorry to make your job harder on you. Did Pepper cut your salary?"

"No, thankfully," they answered, shaking their head and stuffing their hands in their pockets. "He wasn't _happy_ with the fact that the trial got prolonged, or that the defendant doesn't exactly look very guilty anymore, but I guess he figured that one wasn't on me." They gave a helpless shrug. "He'll probably come by in a bit, involve himself in the investigation, but for now I can give you what I've got?"

She grinned. "Alright, lay it on me."

"Gladly." They gestured around the room, explaining, "It was a quiet night, apparently. Four baristas were in that night and remembered seeing the defendant. Two of them, Calliope Dennis and Gavin Zelena, were finishing their shifts. The other two, Ryan Peterson and Jason Yamamoto, were just starting theirs. Neither Dennis nor Zelena could remember who made the defendant's drink, which was made right around the end of their shift, or if it was tampered with after he received it. They both clocked out before he left, and both insisted they left the premises after doing so. Peterson noted that someone wearing a hoodie sat with the defendant at his booth, and it looked like they were having a tense conversation for a couple of minutes before the defendant got up and left, taking his drink with him. He also said he thought the defendant was walking strangely as he left, but hadn't thought anything of it. The hooded person left a few moments later, and they never ordered anything."

Vivi frowned thoughtfully. "The crime scene is only a couple blocks away, and Arthur blacked out while on the street. That drug must have kicked in fast."

"Date rape drugs tend to do that," Duet answered. "They're generally not too hard to acquire and make the target easier to remove from the primary location. We should have specific results soon enough, since Pepper used his prosecutor magic to make it a top priority, but the test I used is for several common date rape drugs, like GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, etc."

"Yuck."

"Yep. Currently there are two theories. One, the defendant didn't pass out, simply blacked out, but was significantly disoriented and unstable as a result of the drugs. The victim noticed him and tried to help, but the defendant panicked and stabbed him in an attempt to defend himself. Several minutes later, he came back to his senses, unable to remember the events, to find the dead body in front of him." Then, Duet smirked. "Or two, the defendant _did_ pass out, and he was taken into the alleyway by someone intending to take advantage of that. Before they could do anything substantial, however, the victim walked in and saw them. The assailant then attacked the victim, killing him with a knife to the throat, before realizing what they had done and altering the crime scene to make it look like the defendant did it."

She thought over both scenarios. "Well, neither of those look good for the prosecution's case, huh? In one Arthur was clearly not in his right mind, and in the other he wouldn't have been able to do much at all. Not to mention that the first story doesn't explain how Arthur got the knife."

"Unfortunately, finding substantial proof of either theory has been difficult," they explained, shaking their head. "The first theory runs into the problems you presented in court, but we still have yet to find conclusive proof that a third person was in that alleyway that night, or any evidence that suggested the defendant was assaulted beyond being drugged."

"Sounds complicated," Vivi remarked, shaking her head. "Maybe the intent wasn't assault then?"

"Hmm...possibly." The shrugged helplessly. "There have been a string of disappearances in the area, actually."

Her eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yeah, about eight so far," Duet explained. "It's Pepper's pet project, actually. He's been working with us on the investigation between cases, trying to find the victims or their remains. The victims were all in their late teens and early twenties, all had a history of self-destructive behavior with five having official depression and/or anxiety diagnoses, and all disappeared around this area."

She grimaced. _Check, check, and check. Arthur was right in the demographic to be targeted by a serial kidnapper._ "You think this case and that one might be connected?"

They shrugged again. "Arthur Kingsmen fits the general target profile." Then, a bit more seriously, they asked, "Was he acting in any way these past few weeks that made you concerned? Pulling away, growing more isolated, that sort of thing?"

"...Yeah." She began fidgeting with the cuffs of her blazer. "It started a few weeks ago, but he was canceling plans, stopped being as responsive when we were hanging out. His uncle even called me, asked me if I'd talk to him because he was getting worried. But...well, then he got accused of murder before I could."

_I should check the call log on his phone. See if he was getting calls consistently from any numbers that might be connected to that one voice. There might be correlation between the two._

"I'll make sure to make a note of that," Duet remarked, tugging a notepad out. "A couple of officers are questioning the defendant right now. Maybe if the cases are connected, he can provide us with information that will help us catch the kidnapper."

_If he's even willing to tell you that._

"Detective Carmen, would you come look at this!" someone called, and Duet gave Vivi a questioning look, silently asking if they were still needed.

"Go on, I'll find something to do," she told them, and they nodded and gave her a wave before heading over in the direction they had been called.

It appeared Mystery hadn't finished his own investigation yet as she headed over to the counter, leaning against it and tugging the court record folder from her bag, taking out a notepad and beginning to write things down.

  * _Four baristas, two of which could have made the drink_
    * _Dennis or Zelena(?) made drink._
  * _New theories, bad outlook for prosecution._
    * _Arthur attacked victim while not in right mind (how did he get the knife?)_
    * _Arthur was unconscious during the attack and someone else killed victim_
  * _No evidence of assault found._
  * _Serial kidnapper, targets mentally ill, self-destructive young people_
    * _Attempted kidnapping?_
    * _Possibly related to voice mail_



"Hey, excuse me?" a voice asked, and Vivi jumped and whirled around to see a girl behind the counter, looking only about eighteen at the most. "You're Vivienne, right?"

"Yeah?" she answered, raising an eyebrow.

"Minerva apparently wanted to give you a drink on the house, since you seemed stressed," the girl explained, holding out a coffee cup. Vivi could see Minerva's scribbly handwriting on said cup and took it gratefully, an appreciative smile on her face.

"Thanks," she answered, taking a swig of the coffee before frowning. Ah, that was what Minerva had been complaining about when she complained about the new guy. The essential components were there, but the balance was off _very off_ , and he really must have been salt-obsessed because it had a salty aftertaste that just didn't work. Gross. "Are you Calliope?"

The girl shook her head. "Nah, I'm Scarlet, Scarlet Parvula. The police arrived during my shift and asked me to stay in case they had questions for me." _Not one of the suspects then._ "I've seen you around a couple times since I started working here, as well as the orange spiky dude they keep showing us pictures of. You a lawyer?"

Vivi nodded, taking another swig of the drink in an attempt to show her appreciation, even though it was pure torture. "Yeah."

"Huh. Cool."

They stood there in awkward silence for a moment, before Scarlet shrugged and remarked, "I'm going to go check on Ms. Weaver. Hope you enjoy your drink."

 _I'm really not, thanks._ She took another pained sip of the horrendous concoction as Scarlet walked away, before looking around to make sure no one was watching her and dropping it in the trash. The caffeine was not worth it, honestly. She preferred Minerva's drinks over whatever the hell this guy thought a mocha cappuccino was supposed to taste like.

Returning to her notes, she tapped her pen against her chin thoughtfully. The prosecution ultimately didn't have much of a case against Arthur anymore, with the evidence of the drugging. And pointing out the problem with the blood weakened the argument even further. But the trial couldn't properly end until Vivi proposed an alternate culprit, and that was where the problem was. Three suspects: two baristas and one unknown. A series of serial kidnappings, with Arthur as a potential target. A mysterious voice mail from someone or something that Mystery had gravely insisted wasn't human. And a prosecutor who had an active investment in sending her best friend to jail.

She wanted to talk to Arthur, mostly. If he told her what happened in the Daily Grind that might, she would have a better idea of who possibly could have done it.

_You done yet, Mystery?_

**_Unfortunately yes. There are traces of the substance, but ultimately the source I found yesterday has been removed. Judging by the remarks by the police, it was not removed by any of them._ **

_That's not good. Want to try going to Arthur then?_

**_It appears too busy here to have a chance to speak to possible suspects, so I suppose checking in with Arthur is the best course of action. Perhaps he can provide some insight._ **

_Yeah...by the way, there actually_ have _been some disappearances in the area. Duet suspects that Arthur may have been the target of a serial kidnapper when he was drugged._

**_If the voice is at all connected, then they were more than just a kidnapper._ **

Vivi began gathering her things together, letting out a tired yawn as she did. It appeared the caffeine had ultimately done nothing to wake her up, though she supposed that was what she got for only drink a bit of it. Jeez, that trial had really taken a lot out of her.

She saw Mystery heading out of the backroom and stood up properly, only to nearly fall over as she did. It felt, all of a sudden, like her balance was off, and there was an immediate stab of panic in her chest.

_Something's wron͘g̷._

**_Vivi?_** Mystery's voice sounded w̴or͟͞r̸̨i̛͝e͝͠d̕.̧͢

Her hands were shaking and her stomach was flipping, and s̸̴h̸͏͝e͡ ̴̡̧s̴̷t͜um͟b̢̨l҉̴̨ę̵d͞͠ ̡̕o͢͜͠v̢͟ȩ͟r̴ ̕͝t̵ơ̷ ̕͏̵th͘͜͠e̷ ̸̸͜d͜͠oơ͜r̨,̧ t̨͟͠h̵͘e̡ ̢w̷͏orl͢d ͡s̴̛p͜i͠͏n̴͠ni͢n̷͘҉ģ̸ ͘pr̛e̛c̛ar̴҉i͏o̷͝u҉s̸l̢̢͞y.̶̴ Something was wrong and she needed to escape, she needed to get out of here, it wasn't safe _she wasn't safe-_

_**V̷̴͞i̵͜v͏i͟!͜ ̨͡W̸͏h͢a͘͜t ̸͘͠h͞ąpp̨e̕n͠e̢̧d͝?͢** _

The bell of the door rang and she stumbled into someone, a͘ŗ̨m͘s҉̴ ̴mo͡v̨͜i̧͠n̴g͝ a͟lm̷̷o͟s͡t͘ ͡͞i̷̡n͏͞şt͏iņ͟c͢t̷̛i̸v͞el͟y̕͠ ̛t̸͠o҉̵̸ c͏ąt̷̛̕ch̷ ̡h̷̛e̕͠r̕ as she nearly fell over.

"Ms. Yukino?" It was Pepper she was pretty sure, the giant asshole, but she was t̸oo̧͠ ͢͏a͟f̨ra̵̢i͡d͢ ҉t͝ơ̧ ̶c̴̛a̛͜r̵e͝ bec̸͝a̢u͝s̸̢e͝ her body wasn't cooperating and it must have been t͏h͏̵e̸ ͜͝co҉f̸̧fe͞͠e̛͏̡, ͜҉̕t̡̛h̸͠͞e͘͞ ͏̢coffe͡e ͟th̡͝͡a̧͝t͜ Scarlet had given her!

"I͠.̷͞͠.̵҉̸.I̧͞ ̸͘d̛͡r̷͜a̵҉n̡k͜ ͘͏sơ̸͠met̕͟hing.̛͝.͠.͏" she tried to say, but her tongue tripped over the words, uncooperative, and h̸̨e͜͠r͟ l̨e͝g͘҉̛s ͞bu̵̕c̡k̶͠l̨͟e͝d̷͠ ̸̶un̡d͏͏e͡͞ŗ̶̶ņ̵͞e̶͡͡a̕͡t͘͏h͠ ͟h̷e͜͜r and strong arms held her tightly.

She could hear p͟a͟n̛͘ic ̵̡į͡n̢̡ ̴t̴͘h͝e ͞҉v̡͞͠o͘ic̸͘ȩ̛s͢ of the people around her, including whoever it was that was holding her, and s̸h̶e̴ ̴o̶̶̕n̶l̛y͏҉ ba͏͡r̴͡el̸̕y̴ ̶̡̕c̸͘a̵͠͡ų͞g̡̧͟h͏t̸ words like "drink" and "hospital" and " _ **sorry**_ " and "V̷̵į͝vi̷!̵" in various tones of fear and desperation before her vision went dark and she r̷͞e̕͡m̵e͜͠mb̶̨ȩ̸r̶e̕d͝͠ ̛̕n҉o̶t͡͡h̷͘i͡͝n̷̛g̶ ͘͠mo̴͟͡r͞͏e̷.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chip things that Duet has are [an actual thing](https://www.undercovercolors.com/) that you can buy to check if your drink has been tampered with. They are a bit more expensive than I'd like, but otherwise they are pretty reliable.
> 
> Let me tell you, doing research for this chapter was an experience. I think Google thinks I'm a drug addict now.
> 
> One of the symptoms of the particular drug that I'm using is memory lapses, so I brought in my good buddy Zalgo to illustrate just how confusing and terrifying the situation is as well as to emphasize the fact that she's not going to remember significant chunks.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Are you absolutely sure-** _

Vivi let out a tired groan. _Yes, Mystery, I'm sure. It's all out of my system and everything._

Mystery still gave her a concerned look from where he was curled up in her lap as they sat on the couch in the defendant's lobby. _**What happened last night was terrifying, and I'm sure no one would blame you if you couldn't-**_

 _If I bail on the trial, the win automatically goes to the prosecution. I don't have time to find Arthur a new defense attorney, so it's going to have to be me. Besides...I think I know just who drugged me and Arthur, and the only way I'll be able to prove it without a doubt is here._ She took a deep breath, clenching her fists. _God, I was an idiot. I should have known better._

 ** _You were surrounded by people, including a woman you trusted and the police. You had no reason to think the culprit would try anything like drugging you in that situation. And you mentioned the drink was poorly made, which ended up disguising the fact that it was drugged from you._** Mystery nestled a bit closer, and Vivi gently pet him at that. **_I am sorry, I should have paid more attention. I would have been able to warn you if I had._**

_If I'm not allowed to blame myself, then neither are you._

"Vivi!"

Mystery jumped out of her lap just in time to avoid being crushed when Arthur tackled her in a one-armed hug.

"Artie!" she began, surprised, before pulling her arms around him and squeezing him tightly. "I guess you heard about last night."

"Lewis told me," he explained, and Vivi frowned, slightly confused. "Oh, uh, Mr. Pepper. The prosecutor."

**_Strange. Given his disdain for Arthur, I wouldn't have thought that was something he'd do._ **

_I'm more confused by the fact that Arthur instinctively used his first name._

**_The plot thickens._ **

"I'm okay now," she assured him, patting him on the back. "I was taken to the hospital and I got a drug test and everything. Which means I know what they used to drug us both now, faster than we would have known if we had to wait for the lab results."

"...I'm sorry."

Her frowned deepened. "What do you mean? It's not like you could have done anything about it."

Arthur pulled away at that, his face having fallen. "I...I'm the one who dragged you into this, Vivi. You wouldn't have been in that situation if it wasn't for me." He tried to reach for his missing arm before letting out a frustrated noise. "I just...I always screw things up, and this time I dragged you down with me."

Her eyes went wide. "Wha...Arthur! What kind of bullshit is that?!" She stood up, clenching her fists. "For one, you didn't drag me into anything! I chose to be your defense attorney, I chose to be your friend, and I chose to drink something that was given to me without considering it might be drugged! And for another, don't talk about my best friend like that! He doesn't screw up everything, in fact he's one of the smartest people I know, and he's probably one of the best things to ever happen to me, and anyone who suggests otherwise can eat shit!"

"But...but you-"

"The things other people do to me are not your fault," she stated firmly. "And anyone who tells you they are? Isn't worth shit. You're only responsible for what you do, not what people do to you, or me, or anyone." Then, taking a shaking breath, she added, "And you know what? I'd feel a lot better if you hugged me again instead of blaming yourself because that shit was _terrifying_ and it helps a lot more to know that you're here than to have you apologize for something you didn't do."

Arthur didn't look convinced, not yet, but he let out a sigh and pulled her into another one-armed hug, and she took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax.

She hadn't lied, of course. She couldn't remember many of the events from the previous night clearly, but what she could remember was the panic and desperation that had overcome her when she realized what was happening, and there was also the residual fear from having events that night she just couldn't remember. The only thing that scared her more, in all honesty, was the fact that Arthur had gone through the same thing and there had been no one to help him when he had.

"Getting drugged with your bestie," she mumbled into his shoulder. "Just girly things."

And he let out a startled laugh at that, and she took that as a victory.

_**I...don't understand the joke?** _

_It's a meme, don't worry about it._

"Hey Arthur," Vivi finally asked, this time pulling away herself. "Can...can you tell me what actually happened in the Daily Grind that night?"

Arthur stiffened. "I..." He grimaced. "I was just stopping to get a drink before going over to Lance's. I was just sitting at our booth when someone sat down across from me. I..." He frowned. "I don't remember his face that well, I think it was covered mostly, but he...he had green eyes. I remember those best. We didn't talk long. He...he knew who I was. He knew who _you_ were."

She blinked. "Wait, me?"

"Yeah." He took a shaking breath. "He said...he said that I had made a smart decision not to tell you about..." And he hesitated.

**_Do you still have Arthur's phone on you?_ **

_Yes._

"...I found your phone," she began, reaching into her bag to pull it out, and he jumped, surprised. "Had to dig through some trash to get it, but I found it. You had a few voicemails, actually. And one of them...it was this horrible static and this voice that just kept saying...well, saying awful things. Is that what you weren't supposed to tell me about?"

"...Yeah." He started to reach for his missing arm, but simply clenched his shaking fist and took another shallow breath. "I'd been getting the calls for weeks. I ignored them at first, but I started getting voicemails. I tried blocking the number, but they'd always come back, even more intense than before. They...they were terrifying, but I didn't know how to bring them up, and I...didn't want to worry you." He let out a huff of unamused laughter. "Didn't end up working out, huh?"

She shook her head. "No, it didn't." _I was worrying even before you were framed for murder._ "And the guy said it was a good thing you didn't tell me?"

"Yeah, because...because if I had, you would probably be dead."

Her blood ran cold.

_**Afraid, but not for himself. Of course.** _

"That guy is lucky he never got the chance to come after me," she decided flatly. "Otherwise his face would have become very acquainted with my baseball bat."

Arthur laughed anxiously, no humor in his voice. "Yeah...he didn't just threaten you. He brought up Lance and Le-" He interrupted himself, shaking his head. "And other people. Said that the best thing I could do for all of you is disappear quietly, stop being such a nuisance. I got creeped out and left, but then...then I blacked out and woke up with a dead body nearby. And I wondered...what if he was right?" His expression fell into a look of sadness. "What if I was just dragging people into getting hurt just by being around them?"

Vivi reached out and grabbed Arthur's hand, squeezing it as she insisted, "That's bullshit, okay? My life has only been better because of you being in it, and I won't tolerate anyone saying otherwise, especially not you."

"...Thanks, Vivi."

She grinned up at him. "Don't worry, okay? You've had to deal with this all on your own for too long. Let me handle the rest."

And he gave a hesitant nod at that, and her grin grew slightly brighter.

_Time to put the pieces together. Whatever happens in that courtroom, Arthur is not going to have to deal with that fucker any longer._

* * *

The slam of the gavel was music to Vivi's ears, compared to the day before, and she glanced down at Mystery and gave him a confident smile.

_I've got this._

"Court is now in session for the trial of Arthur Kingsmen," the judge began, before looking over at Vivi and blinking. "I...Ms. Yukino! Are you sure you should be acting as defense! Surely someone could have taken over after the events of last night!"

She gave him a cheerful grin, "Don't worry, Your Honor, I'm fine! I'm all rested up and ready to go!"

"Are you absolutely certain?"

"Absolutely!" she said, nodding seriously. "As for my investigation last night, the perpetrator ended up doing some of my work for me by drugging me. At the hospital they did a test and found GHB." She pushed her glasses up her noses, adding, "The drug is generally processed quickly by the human body, so testing Arthur for any traces wouldn't yield any results, but it's probably safe to conclude that the same drug was used. Arthur's 'migraine' that he thought was happening involved him feeling dizzy, nauseous, and developing a headache, all effects of GHB, and it also causes memory lapses, black outs, and unconsciousness."

The judge, a little disturbed, nodded. "That's...terrifying."

"Yep!" Vivi agreed cheerfully. She probably looked a bit demented, but sue her, she was having a bad day yesterday. "Of course, I'll throw Mr. Pepper a bone. One of the possible effects is aggressiveness." _But it won't be enough to save you._

Pepper looked mildly disturbed. "Are...are you sure you're okay, Vi...Ms. Yukino?"

Her grin was all teeth and malice now. "I'm frickin' super, Mr. Pepper. Let me tell you, getting drugged last night makes me even more eager to find out who was responsible for drugging Arthur. Puts a lot of things into perspective." 

She regretted it a moment later as Pepper flinched, looking even more disturbed, and forced herself to take a deep breath. _It's not fair to take it out on him, is it? It's not like he's responsible for what happened to me._ Then, she gave him a softer, more genuine smile.

"But thank you for asking, Mr. Pepper," she continued, a bit more calm now. "And thank you for driving me to the hospital last night. I really do appreciate it."

Pepper blinked, before flushing a deep crimson. "I...of course, it was...no trouble. Obviously." He pressed a hand over his face, as if trying to compose himself, before adding, "The police also conducted an investigation last night, both of incident involving the defendant and the drugging of Ms. Yukino." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "According to the owner, she had set a cup aside to make Ms. Yukino a drink once the police were done questioning her, which was how her handwriting ended up on the cup. Another barista, a student by the name of Scarlet Parvula, was the one to give Ms. Yukino the drink, but she insisted she wasn't the one to make it, that she had seen the drink prepared with Ms. Yukino's name and delivered it to her."

"I can vouch for Minerva Weaver not making the drink," Vivi spoke up. "I'm a regular at the Daily Grind, and Minerva has made coffee for me several times before, and the drink I had yesterday tasted nothing like how she makes it. It was...terrible." She grimaced at the memory. "Like really bad. Like someone had put salt in it. Whoever made it was not very good at making coffee."

"In addition, Ms. Parvula and Ms. Yukino's fingerprints were the only ones found on the cup," Pepper continued. "Except Mrs. Weaver was the one who wrote Ms. Yukino's name on the cup, which means that it was highly likely the cup was wiped before Ms. Parvula found it. Ultimately we only have two suspects in the drugging at this point, the same baristas whose shifts ended part way through the defendant's time at the Daily Grind the night of the murder. Calliope Dennis and Gavin Zelena."

Vivi smirked. _Perfect._

Then, Pepper sighed, sounding tired. "However, we also have had a witness come forward. One who claims to have seen the defendant killing the victim. While we are still investigating who was responsible for drugging the defendant and Ms. Yukino, the prosecution feels it is necessary to momentarily dismiss these concerns to focus on the testimony. Though we should obviously proceed with the assumption that the defendant was under the effects of GHB and thus not in his right mind."

_What...the absolute...fuck._

**_I wouldn't be so quick to panic, Vivi. Pepper smells more resigned than anything. And...angry._ **

_What about?_

"The prosecution would like to call..." Pepper took a deep breath. "...Gavin Zelena to the stand."

**_Hmm..._ **

_Huh._

Vivi didn't let any hint of emotion creep onto her face as a man approached the stand, one she recognized immediately as Minerva's "new hire" from the other day. He seemed cocky and confident, unlike the tired and annoyed vibe he had given when she had encountered him the other day.

"Name and occupation," Pepper began, looking as if he wished for death to take him in that moment.

Gavin's smirk somehow grew even more insufferable. "I'm Gavin Zelena. Barista at the Daily Grind."

"...Aren't you one of the suspects for..." the judge began, sounding concerned.

Pepper let out another sigh. "The investigation is currently on-going, Your Honor. If he is responsible, he will absolutely be brought to justice. However, this trial is for a different crime all together."

"Yeah," Gavin answered. Then he glanced over at Vivi and added, "You sure you should be here, lady? Sounds like you had a hell of a night."

Vivi didn't say anything to Gavin though. She just gave him a cheerful grin, and his smirk fell into a confused frown. And then, she turned to Pepper, her grin softening a bit again.

"Mr. Pepper," she said. "Thank you." And there was no sarcasm or malice, just a genuine happiness. Pepper flushed again, before nodding quietly, and Vivi turned her attention back to the witness, already feeling more confident.

**_I don't understand._ **

_Don't worry, Mystery. This will all be over soon enough._

"Mr. Zelena," the judge spoke up. "Please testify about the murder you claimed to have saw?"

"...Sure," Gavin answered, the smug expression back on his face as he leaned against the witness stand.

_Let's see what this bastard has to say then._

"I was just coming off of my shift when I got some bad vibes from a customer," he began. "Worried something was going to happen, I decided to wait outside until he left and follow him to make sure nothing happened. There were a bunch of disappearances in the area after all, so I felt it was better to be safe than sorry. He left the Daily Grind and I followed him at a distance, and then I noticed him dip into an alleyway. I got worried so I crossed to the other side of the street so I could see what was happening without him noticing me. And I watched as a man entered the alleyway, and the guy I had been following jumped him, pushing him back against the wall and stabbing him in the neck with a knife. And the guy who killed that man was that guy over there."

And he pointed over to Arthur at that. And Arthur stared at him, but not out of fear. Out of confusion.

In fact, everyone seemed to be doing that.

**_I...see a major problem with his testimony._ **

_I think even the judge can see the problem with his testimony._

"...Are you absolutely sure these are the events you witnessed?" the judge asked, looking very confused. "You are under oath, after all."

"Yep, pretty sure that covers it."

"...Ms. Yukino, you may begin your cross-examination."

She grinned. "Gladly." Pulling out her file folder, she began, "So first off, did you notice any strange behavior from the defendant when you stalked him?"

"Stalking is such a dirty word," Gavin began, but a glare from Pepper shut him up about that. "But no, I didn't notice anything. He seemed completely lucid to me."

_Strike two to his testimony. We have plenty of evidence to conclude Arthur was drugged after all._

"Interesting you'd say that, since we have evidence that Arthur consumed a not unsubstantial amount of GHB," Vivi pointed out, raising an eyebrow. "While it's not the biggest flaw in your testimony, I'd say that you probably would have noticed him struggling to walk at the very least."

Gavin grimaced. "Alright, alright. I may have forgotten that he was leaning against the buildings for support as he walked."

"Please amend your testimony to include this information," the judge ordered, and Gavin sighed.

_I'm saving the elephant in the room for last, but might as well press him on all the details. Squeeze as much information from him as possible._

Taking a deep breath, she began, "So you were coming off of your shift at the Daily Grind when this occurred. Did you notice anything off while on your shift?"

"Nope, nothing," Gavin answered. "Don't really remember it all that well, honestly. Dennis might have slipped something into his drink while I was there and I wouldn't have even noticed."

Vivi rolled her eyes, but ignored it for now. "So you waited until he left the Daily Grind and then followed him. Did you notice the hooded person who spoke to him while he was there?"

Gavin flinched at that. "What?"

She pulled a transcript from her updated court record out, explaining, "We have statements from the employees who had started their shifts right when you and Calliope Dennis finished yours. And one of them remembered a hooded person coming to sit with Arthur for a few minutes before Arthur left. And it says that Arthur was seated by one of the windows at the front of the shop, so both of them would have been pretty visible, don't you think?"

It took a moment for him to compose himself, before he insisted, "I didn't notice the hooded person, but I guess they might have been there. I was more worried about the bad feeling I was getting from the guy who ended up murdering someone."

"You mentioned there were disappearances in the area," she continued, deciding not to give him much attention. "Could you elaborate on what you meant?"

Gavin shrugged. "Just a bunch of depressed people had been disappearing in the area around the Daily Grind and stuff. I didn't really care all that much, all things considered. It didn't affect me much. I know some of my coworkers were freaked out about it though."

Pepper's fists were clenched as Gavin mentioned being unaffected, and Vivi couldn't blame him for that. She was pretty pissed about that too.

_**Was it public knowledge that the victims were all believed to suffer from depression or anxiety?** _

_Who knows? But I've got one more question for him._

"Mr. Zelena...are you absolutely sure that you saw Arthur kill the victim in the exact way you described?"

"One hundred percent," Gavin answered with a smirk, only for the smirk to fall when Vivi smiled at that.

"Alright," she answered. "Then I would like to go into all the reasons why your testimony is at best a lie." And her smile dropped as she pulled out a schematic of the alleyway and began, "First, if you claim to have been watching from across the street, then a dumpster would have blocked your view of the murder weapon and the murder itself. The same dumpster Arthur's drugged coffee cup was found in, in fact. Next, as we determined in court yesterday, the blood on Arthur's clothes and shown in the picture Ms. Rowell took doesn't match with the scene you described. And the fact that you conveniently forgot several details which would have given your testimony more merit, like the fact that Arthur was not lucid at all due to GHB, the presence of the hooded person harassing Arthur, and anything about your shift during which one of the customers was _drugged_." She looked up at him with a vicious glare. "If I was a prosecutor, I would definitely be looking at bringing you up on charges of perjury."

Gavin grit his teeth, looking at Pepper and demanding, "Aren't you going to object or something! She's clearly badgering the witness!"

"No, she's simply doing her job," Pepper answered, unbothered. "And I find nothing in what she is saying objectionable."

"And I'm not even done yet," she continued, closing her court record folder and planting her hands on the bench. "Tell me, Mr. Zelena, do you know anything about GHB?"

He frowned. "It's a date rape drug and stuff, I know that."

"Yes, it is. But I did plenty of research last night, and I found out that GHB actually has a slightly salty taste. Tell me, Mr. Zelena, does that sound familiar to you?"

He flinched at that, grimacing.

Vivi turned to the judge, saying, "Your Honor, the night after the murder, I was at the Daily Grind, and Minerva Weaver was actually in the process of training Mr. Zelena again, due to the questionable drinks he had made getting complaints. And one of the complaints was that he was putting _salt_ in the drinks."

"I can confirm this myself, Your Honor," Pepper added, his fists shaking. "I will admit I thought nothing of it at the time, but I believe Ms. Yukino's point stands."

"Thank you, Mr. Pepper," she answered, nodding at him before turning her glare back on Gavin. "Now the thing that really struck me as odd was that Arthur and I were the only people ever found to be drugged, but you had gotten complaints about salt in the drinks before either of us were. And then I realized something." She looked at Arthur, who was shaking slightly but gave her a tiny nod. "The people you mentioned disappearing. Detective Carmen informed me last night that what they had in common was declining mental health and a history of self-destructive or suicidal behavior, with over half of them having official depression or anxiety diagnoses. Arthur fits that demographic to a T."

Gavin glowered at her, his knuckles going white as his hands clutched the witness stand.

"And then I realized what happened," she declared, staring him down with a cold expression. "This was not your first time drugging someone, was it? The complaints of salty drinks were from your former victims, the people who disappeared. And you were planning to make Arthur disappear too. That's why you drugged him, why you followed him, why you dragged him into that alleyway when he was barely conscious and couldn't fight back."

"And then the unfortunate Mr. Pott decided to take a shortcut home," Pepper added, meeting Vivi's eyes for a moment and giving her a small nod. "And he found you with an unconscious man that you were trying to move. And so you took your pocket knife and struck before he could run or scream, shoving him against the wall and stabbing him in the neck to ensure he'd bleed out in minutes."

Vivi nodded. "But then you realized the problem. You had just committed a very bloody murder, after all. Your other victims had disappeared without a trace, but someone disappearing the same night as a violent murder wasn't going to fall under the radar. So you tossed Arthur's drink in the dumpster, planted his fingerprints of the knife, and left him in that alleyway to take the fall for you. And you took Arthur's phone in the process too."

She reached into her bag and pulled out the cellphone, and Gavin flinched.

"Now, I didn't submit this phone into evidence because it didn't relate to the case before today," she explained. "But I found it in the trashcan in the backroom of the Daily Grind the night after the murder, after Ms. Weaver gave me permission to look back there. Not in the Lost-and-Found, the _trashcan_. Which indicated that it wasn't left in the restaurant, but that it was taken and you threw it away." She set the phone down before pointing at him. "And you drugged me last night to make sure the police were distracted so you could get rid of it and any other evidence. It threw more suspicion on you, but you could easily deflect it to your coworker, and you distracted the prosecution with the exact testimony they'd need to convict Arthur of a crime he didn't commit."

Gavin's hand shook as he looked at Vivi, then at Pepper, whose cold glare was all the proof he needed that he wasn't getting any help from him.

Then, he closed his eyes...and began to laugh.

And when he opened them, it took all Vivi had not to flinch. And Mystery let out a growl, because something had changed.

Because suddenly, his eyes were very _green_.

"Does it kill you to know that your best friend could have ended up in my control and you never would have noticed?" Gavin began, smirking, and Vivi did flinch at that. "That you were such a terrible friend that you didn't notice until too late that he was falling apart? That he could have been gone forever and it would have been _your fault_."

"Mr. Zelena," Pepper began, sounding angry, but he went pale as Gavin turned those eyes on him.

"Oh Lewis Pepper. You talk so much about how betrayed you were, and yet you betrayed the only person who still cares about you. You try to make yourself so small so no one will be scared of you, so no one will see just how ugly and monstrous you really-"

"Objection!"

Vivi and Lewis both jumped, and everyone turned to look at Arthur, who had jumped up from his seat with a furious expression on his face.

"Vivi is one of the best people I've ever known and Lewis..." he took a shaking breath. "Lewis deserves a lot better than that, no matter what you think he did. And I won't let you talk about either of them that way."

Gavin turned to look at him and scoffed. "Oh yeah? And what are you going to do? You're weak and useless, and all you ever do is drag other people into your problems."

Arthur shuddered at the words, but he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "No...I'm not responsible for anyone's actions but my own." Then, opening them and glaring at Gavin, he continued, "And I'm not responsible for what you do to hurt the people I care about. That's on you."

There was silence for a moment, before Gavin let out a laugh. It was chilling, and Vivi couldn't help the way she shivered at it, as Gavin turned back to face her with those unnaturally green eyes.

"You want your confession, Vivienne Yukino?" he asked mockingly. "Fine. I killed Jack Pott, because he got in the way of our plans."

"...Our?" she asked, suddenly confused. "What do you mean 'our?'"

Gavin laughed again. "Oh I don't think so. It doesn't matter what they do to me now. Our plans will continue with or without me, and I'm, for one, delighted to see how this all comes together. You may have saved your little friend, but you're already too late to save everyone." Then, turning his gaze over to Pepper, "And I hope that eats away at you both, the fact that you got so close to finding the truth only to fail. That no matter what you do, _we_ will win."

Then, blinking, the green in his eyes disappeared, and he held out his wrists, a smug smirk on his face.

"So arrest me. I already got what I wanted."

* * *

Vivi practically clung to Arthur the moment he was released in the defendant's lobby, and he wrapped his arm around her tightly and she could feel the way he shook.

She wanted to say it was over, in that moment. That he would be okay, that no one was going to hurt him anymore.

But Gavin's words wouldn't leave her, in that moment, and part of her felt like this was only the beginning.

 _ **Gavin Zelena smelled human**_ , Mystery thought to her as she held her exhausted best friend. **_Meaning it was unlikely he was the one orchestrating these events. The inhuman voice in that voicemail may be the puppetmaster of this operation._**

_Shut up and join the hug, dammit._

Before Mystery could manage anything more than a _**What?**_ , she had already scooped him up and pulled him into the hug, and he stiffened for a moment before relaxing.

_Thank you, Mystery. I wouldn't have been able to do this without your help._

**_I...of course._ **

"Excuse me?"

Vivi finally released Arthur and Mystery and turned to see Pepper standing there, looking just as awkward and forcibly small as he had at the coffee shop the other day.

"Oh, Mr. Pepper," she greeted. "Thanks for the help in there, with taking that guy down." Then a bit quieter, she added, "Uh, I know that win records are a big deal in the prosecutor's office, so I-"

Pepper held out a hand, insisting, "Win records aren't as important as making sure justice is served, Vi...Ms. Yukino."

She frowned at the way he messed up again, but shook her head, just holding out her hand and insisting, "Just call me Vivi. We aren't in the courtroom, so no need to be professional."

"I...um, right. Vivi." He shook her hand very gently, as if worried he'd break it, and she frowned. _Gavin must have really gotten to him, huh?_ "I'm glad that you're okay, after what happened last night. It was...terrifying, to be honest."

"Uh...Lewis?"

Both she and Pepper jumped at Arthur speaking up suddenly, and Vivi turned to see Arthur standing there, seeming nervous.

"Hey, I...don't let what that guy said get to you, okay?" he began, looking up at Lewis with a serious expression. "You were just trying to do the right thing, and I don't blame you for it at all. That guy...he just says what he thinks will hurt the most. He doesn't actually know what he's talking about." Then, a bit shyly, he added, "And...I know this wasn't the best circumstances, but...I'm glad to see you again. I missed you."

Pepper stared at Arthur for a moment, looking confused and conflicted. Like something wasn't adding up, like Arthur had just defied the laws of physics in front of him and he was trying to figure out how that was even possible.

Then, his expression went very intentionally blank. "I...I should leave. I have paperwork I need to get to." And then he turned and walked away, leaving the rest of them staring after him.

And Arthur, looking sad, just sighed.

"What's...what's going on there?" Vivi asked. "How do you know that guy anyway?"

Arthur sighed. "It's...a long story. I'm...actually starving, so I can tell you about it while we get some food?"

"Sounds good to me," Vivi agreed, forcibly injecting cheer into the situation.

_Whatever is going on there, I feel like I should know something about it. Is Pepper like an ex of Arthur's or something that I never met?_

**_Perhaps._ **

* * *

Gavin sat down in the visitors room of the detention center, looking across the glass at the hooded person across from him, green eyes glowing from beneath their hood.

"You failed," the person remarked.

He shrugged, leaning back in his chair and taking a glance back at the unconscious guard slumped against the wall. "We miscalculated with the orange guy, by the way. If we had taken him, we would have ended up with the blue girl bearing down on us pretty bad." Tilting his head thoughtfully, he added, "The blue girl would have been more fun to break, but she's not a good candidate otherwise. Orange guy gets a lot more confident where she's concerned."

"Presenting other candidates won't protect you from your fate, Zelena."

He laughed. "Of course not. I know what's going to happen to me, but I'm just giving a warning. Orange guy is too much of a risk to keep messing with, blue girl is fun but not worth the trouble. Mess with one, the other will cause hell to get that one back, and we've got a wild card with the mutt. Neither of them are safe bets anymore."

The hooded person sighed, pinching their brow with a gloved hand. "Then what are you suggesting?"

"You saw the prosecutor for the case, right?"

"...You're kidding. A prosecutor will get us too much attention, you idiot."

He smirked. "He's perfect. Determined to isolate himself from the only person able to reach out, filled with all kinds of self-loathing, emotionally self-destructive. If he disappeared, orange guy wouldn't put up a fight because he would just assume he's distancing himself on purpose. Plus he's a big guy, lots of muscles. Better option than the orange guy, full stop."

The hooded person was silent, eyes glancing to the side as they thought over it. "...We'll consider it, of course. We'll need to talk to _him_ about it, see if _he_ deems Lewis Pepper a proper target."

"Oh you know _he'll_ love it."

The hooded person rolled their eyes, standing up. "Evidence of this meeting will be erased once you are returned to your cell. Expect a visitor tonight."

"I know how this works," he answered, shaking his head as he stood up. "Welp, it was fun while it lasted."

As the hooded person left on their side of the room, Gavin simply approached the guard and snapped in his face, and there was a flash of green in the guard's eyes as he clumsily stood tall and grabbed Gavin's arm, taking him back to his cell.

Their magic was good. The guard wouldn't even remember any of this once he was back in his cell. Gavin was a bit jealous. Not that it would matter soon enough.

Gavin Zelena would die in prison tonight, a presumed suicide, and the mystery would remain unsolved.

And _he_ would continued unimpeded.

* * *

Arthur was asleep in Vivi's bed, too exhausted by the past few days for his insomnia to keep him awake, and Vivi looked in on him briefly before shutting the door and heading into the living room, where Mystery was lounging on the couch.

"Hey Mystery," she spoke up as she sat beside him. "So, what do you want to do now?"

" **What do you mean?** " Mystery asked, looking up at her.

"I mean...you were with me because you were injured, remember? And now you're not. I assumed you were sticking around because you wanted to see how this case ended." She shrugged helplessly, adding, "So I'm wondering...what do _you_ want to do?"

" **I mean...I suppose I could leave. The one responsible for my injuries doesn't know this form, so I would be able to remain out of danger like this. Unless you have another idea?** "

She smiled. "I do, actually. If you want, and _only_ if you want...you could live with me? For one, you've been a great investigative partner, and I seriously don't think I would have gotten anywhere without your help. And for another...something supernatural is going on, with those disappearances and the people who were targeting Arthur. And I think, if we work together, we'll be able to find out the truth and stop them." Then, with a grin on her face, she added, "And I'd like to think we're friends by this point."

"... **I couldn't ask you to do more for me than you already have, by bringing me to safety and feeding me and providing...well, the only real companionship I've had in a while. And I can't promise that my presence won't bring more supernatural dangers to your doorstep.** "

"Promise?" Vivi asked, causing him to let out a snort as she reached over and scratched behind his ears. "But seriously, I can protect myself, whether it's supernatural or not. So stay here as long as you want, okay?"

"... **Okay.** " Then, after a moment, he nudged her arm, adding, " **I believe you should get some rest, Vivi. Arthur isn't the only one who has had an exhausting past few days.** "

"Yeah...yeah, fair enough," she agreed, letting out a yawn.

Things were still strange. There was Lewis Pepper, this mysterious guy Arthur had told her he had known and used to be friends with, yet she couldn't remember ever meeting before that night in the coffee shop. The creepy voicemail and whatever Gavin Zelena's deal was. Whatever Mystery was supposed to be to have multiple "forms" and be able to speak and use minor telepathy and heal so crazy fast.

But, as Vivi flopped into bed, her best friend's soft breaths as he laid on the other side reminding her that he was okay and alive, and Mystery curling up in the crook of her knees, she decided it could all wait until the morning to worry about. 

If she had any say about it, then things were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to know why Arthur isn't being upfront about him and Lewis knowing each other, think about this: Vivi wanted to throw an axe at Lewis already. If she knew that he and Arthur had once been close friends and that Arthur cared a lot about him, there would be no saving him.
> 
> Also, it is very intentional to never refer to Lewis by his color in that one bit. Because "purple guy" is a very distinct term for a very distinct fandom out there.

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, the judge in this story is basically the same judge from AA but in a cowboy hat.
> 
> Naming Notes:  
> * Jonathan "Jack" Pott's name is ironic because a jackpot is generally indicative of getting lucky, and he was very unlucky when he stumbled upon the kidnapping attempt, which resulted in his gruesome death.  
> * Minerva and Artemisia are both derivatives names of virgin goddesses from Greek/Roman mythology, though Artemisia specifically was named after the artist Artemisia Gentileschi, a female Renaissance painter whose work is really cool. The last name Weaver was inspired because Athena/Minerva was the goddess of weaving.  
> * Also only Minerva is allowed to call Artemisia "Missy" and only Artemisia is allowed to call Minerva "Minny".  
> * Chose the last name Carmen for Duet because it means "a song" in Latin.  
> * Chose the last name Rowell for Chloe because Rainbow Rowell wrote a book called _Fangirl_.  
> * Most of the other baristas beyond Gavin didn't have much thought put into their names, but Scarlet Parvula was a fun little joke for me. _Jenkinsia parvula_ is the scientific name for the Venezuelan herring, so her name is meant to match with her status as a red herring for the police due to her giving Vivi the drugged coffee.  
> * Gavin is a form of the name Gawain, who is generally depicted as the brother or half-brother of Mordred, while Zelena is Bosnian for green. The former is a subtle tribute to the fandom name for ???, while the latter was just because I couldn't help myself.  
> * The fact that his name is a form of someone related to Mordred but not actually him? That's for a good reason.
> 
> So I left a sequel hook for if I ever feel up to writing more for this AU, but if you want to ask questions about the AU, talk to me about Ace Attorney or Mystery Skulls Animated, or just talk in general, my Tumblr is [boopboopitydoop](https://boopboopitydoop.tumblr.com). Feel free to shoot me a message!


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